


Dedication Through Light And Darkness

by lalunaticscribe



Series: Duelling Dimensions [1]
Category: Dresden Files - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Humor, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-24
Updated: 2011-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-26 14:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 60,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/284350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalunaticscribe/pseuds/lalunaticscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Door to Darkness has opened. The Light is missing. The Chicago Anarchy-gasm has begun, as Duel Monsters come out to play. As the titans clash,in the midst of it all is...Dark Magician? "There is no way in hell any wizard would wear that, Molly".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of the End

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**This story is dedicated to ZecoreZecron, who was great enough to put this fic up on the TvTropes(dot)Org Dresden Files Fanfic Rec page. This story has made the ten percent worth dying for because of him.**   
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**This is for you and all the readers, and the people ho wrote the 18 reviews it currently has. Thanks, guys.**   
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**LLS, 14 August 2011  
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**Prologue: The Beginning of the End**

It is said that there are forces beyond mere man's control. Some call it magic, some call it God, some call it luck, some call it fate. Few know what is really is. And they are the few who it, whatever 'it' may be, will never change.

Overcast clouds overhead cut off what little sunlight there was until the day resembled the night. As the streetlights lining the roads flickered into being, the shadows themselves by the streets and roads flickered from the indistinct to the clear, as if somewhere, a spark of sentience had been sparked within the umbra.

One said, the little master is missing.

It cannot be! Another cried. None escape the shadows' sight!

One said, It took place during the eclipse, when light and shadow was at the most indistinct. The little master was stolen from our eyes.

One said, it matters not. What matters is that the little master is not in our sight, not in our embrace, not within our senses.

Not here, not here, the shadows chorused as one. The little master, not here.

 _Not here,_ a shadow whispered with authority. _Master will not be happy._

Neither are we, the shadows chorused as one. The little master...gone. Gone. Gone! Little light...where are you?

 _Creatures of shadow, let us seek him,_ the lead shadow whispered, as it coalesced into a solid, humanoid form. _Hurry, before the master awakens again and realises that the little master is missing._

Find little master, keep little master safe, shadows chorused as they themselves percolated into the solid forms of the creatures of myth, of that which hid in the dark.

The lead shadow raised a staff, showing it's authority, the little light there was reflected off the staff in tiny silvers, as the shadows rapidly fell into the formation of a hundred demons of the night. _Little master...find him!_

Some screamed, Blood, blood... in a side street.

Some screamed, Little master's blood.

Little master, where are you? The shadows cried as one.

 _Little master, little light...where are you?_ Chorused the monsters of shadows and darkness.

* * *

As far as cryptic warnings went, monsters attacking you in the middle of a werewolf pack was an immediate fail.

Then again, it was _monsters_ attacking you in the midst of a werewolf pack, with about zero regard for said werewolves around, which was pretty worrying, and therefore not in need of subtlety. Or cryptic, come to think of it.

I dodged one, aimed my blasting rod at another, letting loose fire with a curse as the Alphas got their furry faces on and leapt into the fray with things I had never seen before.

No, don't get me wrong. There are loads of nasty, face-eating things out there, and it's impossible unless you are a god or maybe an archangel or something like that to know every single critter and creature there. Not knowing what type of beastie was currently attacking was often a given where Chicago's only professional wizard was concerned. However, a lot of big beasties follow the rules of natural order, while the beasties in question didn't.

For example, I have yet to see a giant spider willingly work with a giant...bug-like thing and a tiger like this prior to being jumped by said arachnid-insect-feline team. And when I say _bug_ , I mean the big man-eating kind with _teeth_ and everything.

I dodged a silk line the arachnid spat at me, and watched as the asphalt in contact dissolved. Yelp.

"What the hell are these?" Billy screamed at me. In his human form, he was currently taking a baseball bat to the suspiciously black-widow-related arachnid, who just looked pissed off.

"No clue!" I yelled back, adrenaline prompting me to set the nearest things on fire, which was the arachnid and the tiger. The giant spider was still in one pissed-off package, as was its feline companion, which was pretty worrying. And scary. And kinda cool. In the scary kind of way. But still cool. "Don't know why is it attacking!"

This is a more sensible question than first thought. You see, Chicago, unlike most major cities, holds an annual anarchy-gasm courtesy of yours truly to get all the supernatural troubles of the year out in one big, fun-filled, adrenaline-rushed, panic-inducing, completely pain-full festival. I hardly get jumped by monsters until the patented Harry Dresden anarchy-gasm. And what does one pay monsters to jump me in anyway? Gold? Meat? A part of me was praying for the payment not to be the Harry Dresden Diet.

"That," a strange voice rose from the surrounding shadows, "is an excellent question."

Just like that, the monsters...froze. "What are you doing?" the quiet voice said again. Several of the wolves' hackles rose and somewhere in my head, a tiny voice screamed for me to run, jump, fly, crawl, do anything to get away _right now_. The tiger growled, and I swear that the big cat with teeth and claws sounded afraid.

"We are here to look for the little master, not to attack unsuspecting innocents!" The voice shouted, echoing from sheer volume. Several wolves winced. I certainly felt like it. "Do these wolves and the mage smell of us, or of the little master? Keep looking!"

Believe it or not, the powerful creatures that not even fire magic could dent or kill or even injure made a suspiciously 'eep' sound before running off.

It was cool. Also scary. But in a cool way.

"Apologies," the voice now spoke to us, back to its normal volume. Unless the cars could speak, I guess it was talking to us. "My colleagues and I are searching for our little master and they are understandably panicked, hence their attack upon you and your wolf-children who could have taken our little master."

"Er, I see..." I awkwardly replied.

"Thank you very much for your understanding," the voice replied, and I swear that its owner was amused. "Good evening."

As the presence faded back into the shadows, Billy found his voice back. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Did a disembodied voice just apologise for _jumping_ us?"

"Yeah, I think it did."

"Well..." Billy searched for something to say.

"At least it's a hell lot more polite than normal," I defended.

"Good point," he agreed. "We don't get many polite monsters apologising for jumping us nowadays."

Now, I can safely say that curiosity is a trait common to wizards. It's in our genetics; the root for the word 'wizard' is the same for the word 'wise'. Wizards are defined not by the magic they control, not by the power they carry, or the spells they throw, but by the knowledge they learn. Knowledge is power, and curiosity, no matter how many wizards it kills, is what defines us.

Plus, if monsters were running around jumping people due to one missing person, then it's time for the local Warden to step in.

I just wished that sometimes, it wasn't me.


	2. Magical Scientist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Playing by A Different Set of Rules** _

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**Playing by A Different Set of Rules**   
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_Hope you enjoy it! :D Please comment!_   
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_insert standard disclaimer here. Creative Commons, people!  
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**Chapter 1: Magical Scientist**

Now, generally speaking, through much experience, I have developed a standard operating procedure to deal with missing people in the face of the obviously supernatural. The first thing to ascertain was who was missing, which would then lead to the solving of the other questions such as why was he missing, how did he go missing, and where did he go missing from. It is then through a series of trail and error that the perpetrator is then unmasked and the missing person found.

Even so, I, for all my bad-ass supernatural-protector-of-Chicago self...

...was now begging the local sergeant for information. With doughnuts. The kind with chocolate sprinkles. And coffee. Hot, black, almost-Klatchian coffee. Nectar of the gods and all that at one in the morning.

"Dresden, you're evil," Sergeant Karrin Murphy sighed, gently knocking her head against her desk as I did the hopeful-worshipper impression. "I need more parameters than just _male,_ Dresden. We've a new wave of monster sightings that are nothing like trolls coming in since the total eclipse last night and a VIP visiting Chicago. There's pressure from the city office to keep the weird down and I have a migraine. Come back when you have something more specific, Harry."

My oh-so-wise metaphysical ears pricked up at that. "Monster sightings?"

"Loads. I've just got in giant bug sightings and dragon sightings and even alien sightings. And we've just got one by the station. There's even a Polaroid." She tossed the photo to me. "Lousy quality though. And you can only see a clown. Nothing very threatening." At the look on my face she added: "Ghost-hunters."

Ah. That explained a lot.

True to form, there was a clown's face, partly hidden in shadow, but enough to note the star on its left eye and the extremely colourful makeup. "It's still proof, though. Right?"

"Not when you're claiming that the clown's head turned a one-eighty and it can fly," Murphy snorted. "What did you meet?"

I told her all about the tiger, the spider and the bug. Her face turned only slightly sympathetic. "You poor thing," she sighed. "Go home, get some sleep, 'kay? Gimme the coffee."

"I hate you, Murph," I yawned, handing over the Klatchian export before walking out. "Good luck."

I strolled out of the precinct to my trusty Blue Beetle, waiting for me. I waited until I was safely surrounded by steel before I drove off. No one bombs a Volkswagen this close to the station; they're too cute.

That, and my car makes even the local dump look valuable.

It was a long while later, when I was safely on the brink of sleep, that I realised that the clown in the picture had it's head in a one-eighty. By then, I was too tired to care.

* * *

"What do you mean, he's not there, puppy? Mutou was supposed to be there! He can't just disappear!" the brash voice half-yelled into the receiver.

"I mean what I mean, moneybags. Yuugi's not here! Not in the hotel, not anywhere, missing! Unless you've forgotten what missing means?" a slightly tinny and equally brash speaker yelled back at him.

The first voice sighed. "Called the locals yet?"

"They told me to come back after twenty-four hours. And it's not like we can say that Yuug' was kidnapped by rabid duellists or something, right? I mean, Chicago, Second City, all that...?"

"What are you...never mind, I get it." the first voice sighed. "Mutou is even more of a lightweight than you, so the bars are out. And considering that he was _supposed_ to be there, and Mutou is a hell lot more responsible than you'd ever be, he's obviously been kidnapped. It can't be for the trinket which is currently buried somewhere in North Africa now, so we're left with mortal reasons. Call in the police under representation of KaibaCorp, puppy."

"Stop calling me puppy! I have a name, and it's Joey! And I'm getting right on that!" There was a phone slamming, and a dial tone^^, as the first speaker allowed himself a small smirk. It quickly vanished to give way to a serious expression.

" _Nii Sama_ , what's going on?" a little voice piped up behind him as the pair fiddled with the controls of the titan of engineering they were steering over the Pacific Ocean.

"Yuugi's missing, Mokuba." Seto Kaiba explained in the most succinct way possible. Blue eyes narrowed in an expression of distaste to the common person, but Mokuba Kaiba had learnt to read his big brother's expression as one of foreboding. That, or the mirror he had placed beside them was broken.

"Aren't the Millennium Items gone?" the child genius pointed out.

"That's what I'm worried about. There's hardly any reason to kidnap him, not with his open-door policy regarding games, so..." Kaiba trailed off. There was hardly any need to elaborate, after all.

 _But why now? Why after the Puzzle is gone...?_ was their thoughts as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Jet screamed across the Pacific towards their destination: O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

"This is Bravo Echo Whiskey Delta Double-O-One^, calling in to O'Hare International Airport." Kaiba broke radio silence. "Requesting permission to land _..._ "

Kaiba never bothered to hear the affirmative, too absorbed in the sight of pixies flying around the Blue-Eyes Jet. Not just any dewdrop pixies, though.

" _Koringu Nova*_?" Mokuba choked as a wreath with wings flew past the Jet. " _Gellenduo**_?" the pair of alien-like Fairy-Type monsters squished their faces against the window.

"We have a problem," Kaiba declared, pointing to the castle floating overhead. "Why the hell is _Sanctuary in the Sky***_ doing over Chicago?" He very wisely cut off radio contact before pronouncing the name of the Field Spell which had currently formed over the city of Chicago.

" _Yami no Game,"_ the two replied simultaneously.

It was Mokuba who later broke the resulting silence. "But _how...?"_

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^^ _ **I am perfectly aware that calls/Wi-Fi/whatever is incapable of working on normal planes, due to interfering with navigational equipment. To this, I answer: Do you really think Seto Kaiba the type not to make the thing work no matter what? YGO fans might know the answer. To those who don't know, we quote Seto Kaiba's words from the Abridged Series:**_

 **Screw the rules, I have money.**

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**Here you might have found the answer. :)**   
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* _ **Japanese Romanji of "Nova Summoner". Picture shows a wreath with wings, so I say it like it is.**_

** _ **Too lazy to insert Romanji. Pronunciation is about the same anyway. Yes, it really looks like that. That or two blobs of clay in green and pink respectively, given**_ _ **vaguely human features.**_

*** _ **Field Spell Card. It's effect is not very relevant here...yet. Just know that the picture shows a big castle in the clouds, with parapets and turrets and everything.**_

^ _ **Yu-Gi-Oh fans might be able to decipher this. For the new reader, it stands for BEWD. For those who don't know what this acronym means, stand in front of a White Lightning. Then you'll know what hit; it's pretty hard to miss.**_

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**Please review!  
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	3. Dark Magic Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Explanation in order: Since this fic is set in Chicago, it seems like a good idea to use the American names of the characters. However, rest assured that the cards will be used with their most common names (with translations for those in foreign languages).** _

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**Explanation in order: Since this fic is set in Chicago, it seems like a good idea to use the American names of the characters. However, rest assured that the cards will be used with their most common names (with translations for those in foreign languages).**   
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**For those who have managed to figure out the BEWD 001, congratulations!**   
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**Please read and review! I need constructive criticism!**   
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**For once, I took a leaf out of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s book and decided to introduce a non-sequitor scene that would eventually play a major part in the story. Quite the experiment here; it's my first time using such a plot structure.**   
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**Oh, yes, before I forget. Although this takes place after the entire plot of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and before the events of Changes, acting as spoilers for Small Favor onwards, we will be playing by the TCG new rules, minus the Synchro Summon concept.**   
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**That means 8000 life points, no Synchro Summon, and because I'm too lazy to keep referring to the banned lists (and because I need a banned card for later in the plot), we will not be referring to banned cards (unless otherwise stated).**   
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**I prefer the manga myself, but then we will be following the plot of the animé (because I frankly couldn't find the last few volumes of the manga, and frankly because the Japanese subbed version was way cooler, in my opinion).**   
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**Chapter 2: Dark Magic Attack**

The Vegas Strip was bright at night, the long ribbon of garish hotels and bonsai landmarks lit up in every shade of neon that modern science could supply. And in the midst of it all, the glitz and glamour of Sin City, two female Duellists duke it out.

One Duellist was busty, blonde ringlets falling down to rest over her shoulders, with wide brown eyes that nevertheless held a hint of steel. Dressed as she was in stage wear -red shorts, a halter-top of black under a light red short sleeve jacket, calf-high boots of black leather, and a silver necklace with a black stone pendant setting it off-, she sharply contrasted with most of the casino attendees, who were dressed to the nines. Her opponent presented an equal contrast, decked out in a Tuxedo leotard which formed a halter-neck under a white suit jacket, black fish-nets, and white boots, along with a white fedora perched on her head, under which black hair cascaded down her back. It was the travelling Industrial Illusions act, War of the Queens, with the Red Queen, Mai Valentine, and the White Queen, Diana Hunter as today's main act.

Mai: LP 2000, Harpie Queen (1900/1200, attack mode), Harpie's Pet Dragon (2300/2800, attack mode), 1 face-down card in Spell/Trap zone.

Diana: LP 1900, Summoner Monk (800/1600, defence), Dark Red Enchanter (2300/2200, 2 Spell Counters, attack), Defender the Magical Knight (1600/2000, 1 Spell Counter, attack), Breaker the Magical Warrior (1900/1000, 1 Spell Counter, attack), 2 face-downs and Magical Citadel of Endymion Field Spell (2 Spell Counters).

"I activate Hysteric Party!" Mai announced, revealing the face-down card. "This allows me to special-summon every single Harpy Lady in my Graveyard! And due to that stunt you pulled just now, Di...Come back, Harpie Ladies One, Two, and Three."

The red-, orange- and blue-haired Harpies (1600/1400 each) that were Mai's signature monsters joined their green-haired counterpart on the Field, and then Harpie Lady #1's effect, plus Harpie's Pet Dragon's, kicked in. (2300/2800 → 3500/3700). "Harpie's Pet Dragon..."

"Not so fast, I activate Threatening Roar!" called the White Queen, activating the face-down Trap. Mai nodded before ending her turn.

"Draw!" Underneath the fedora, emerald eyes crinkled in greeting. "Why, thank you, but I was just about to end this. Summoner Monk, attack mode!"

Summoner Monk groaned as it stood up. Mai swore that Kaiba's holographic technology was improving; she could hear the old man's bones creak from her position.

"I activate Breaker's effect and remove 1 Spell Counter to destroy Hysteric Party!" Diana continued. One of the luminous balls of light from the towers surrounding the field from Magical Citadel of Endymion was extinguished. "What the...?" one of the audience called.

"Due to my field spell's effect, I can substitute Breaker's spell counter with one from the Citadel itself." Diana elaborated. "Now then..."

The three Harpie Ladies screamed as they were destroyed along with Hysteric Party. (Harpie's Pet Dragon: 3500/3700 → 2300/2800). "Quick-Play Spell Card, Rush Recklessly! Dark Red Enchanter!"

Harpie's Pet Dragon glowed with a dull violet as its attack dropped, while the Dark Red Enchanter lowed a bright scarlet as its own increased. (2300/2200 → 3000/2200)

"Destroy Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

The red chained dragon roared in pain as it was shattered by the magician's red blasts of magic.

Mai: LP 1300

"Breaker, attack Harpie Queen!" The green-haired blue-winged harpy screeched as Breaker took it down with his sword. However, at the last moment, Harpie Queen's claws swiped Breaker's throat, resulting in the death of both monsters. "Your death will not be in vain. Summoner Monk, Defender, Direct Attack!"

Despite years of experience dealing with Duel Monsters, Mai still swore that nothing could prepare a Duellist for the sight of monsters attacking. However, it was when she could feel the impacting magic blasts that she realised, through years of experience with a certain Domino City in Japan, that something was very wrong here. That or Kaiba's technology was not keeping to the safety limiters set...not possible. Hence...

"Mai!" Diana called, running over as Mai Valentine flew off the stage to crash upon red carpeted floor. "Are you alright? Hurt anywhere?"

As a Duellist of Battle City, who had summoned real monsters without the KaibaCorp DuelDisk™ before, Valentine was hardly a fool. _Yami no Game...but how's that possible here? Especially when Yuugi's on the wrong coast? And so far, there's no one else..._

 _...right?_

"I'm fine," she shakily replied. Visions of being trapped in an hourglass as sand kept pouring down threatened her sanity. "I'm going to tell Kaiba. There's something wrong with this...thing. Tomorrow..."

"Right. Tomorrow. War of the Queens' act in Chicago, right?" Selene slowly replied, referring to the pair's tour around America as part of Industrial Illusions' promotion of Duel Monsters to North America.

"Yes." _That, and the upcoming Championship to be held in Chicago...Yuugi, if this has anything to do with you, I'm going to rip a new one...how DID the kid affect the cards from across the_ continent _?_

Somewhere in Los Angeles, a Warden was out on patrol. Sword at the hip, hand on staff and a few fragmentation grenades, secure in his magic.

A cold wind blew from the East and his skin began to crawl, not in the goose-pimply way when skin met ambient cold, but in the real, terrified, right-off-your-body kind of crawl. Overhead, the skies of Los Angeles boomed with sudden thunder.

Despite himself, Carlos Ramirez shivered. _Dark times..._

* * *

I live in a dinky little basement apartment. For all my wizarding skills, it doesn't pay too well. Despite what all Wiccans say, yes, you can do magic for money. You just have to want to eat more than you want to respect it, phenomenal cosmic powers be damned. Emotions and motivations can really fuel magic, and as a wizard, I know how to tap into emotions and other forces of life and creation to create the desired effect. Except for how to mass-summon monsters. I haven't figured that out yet. Bob had no idea that dragons could be summoned into this realm. Giant spiders, yes. Tigers, ditto. Except that, in his words, no way in hell can you get a bug, a giant spider and a tiger to work together without killing each other, unless you took over the monster's will, and even then the Council would have detected it, which would mean an automatic death sentence to the summoner.

So, when in doubt, conduct the metaphysical version of CSI. People could make a show out of my life. Call it _CSI: Second Circle of Hell_. Certainly more interesting than crime scene investigation.

Well then, would-be metaphysical investigators, I have no idea if you would ever need to investigate a magic crime scene, i.e. a scene whereby magic had been misused into the committing of crimes, here are some basic must-haves for all your forensic kits:

Copper fillings. Like it's wiry equivalent, copper can channel magical energies and stick to places touched with magic like mad. Also known as: magical fingerprinting kit.

Chalk, not just for your standard clue outlining but equally good for the preservation of energies at magical crime scenes.

Bags. Brown paper evidence bags, zip-lock, whatever. Worst case scenario, keep what clues you pick up in your pockets. Just hope that you remember which pocket the thing's in...

Staff. The most versatile tool of a wizard's arsenal, these babies can be used for forensic work supernatural style, aside from channelling magic to hurl at enemies or braining them with it. Plus, it's a six foot stick. Damn useful weapon if there ever was one needed.

Of course, we must never forget the most important thing in a forensic examiner's toolbox, be they magical or mundane; senses. And, aside from the usual five, wizards have magic to amp up our Hearing and Sight.

And, of course, mine came with a magical crime scene examiner on hand.

"Brr," Bob whispered, orange lights in the skull flickering. I held him up to face the scene, which had already been cleaned up, save for the impressions of claws where the monsters had scored the asphalt in an effort to get to us. For some inexplicable reason, Mouse refused to even step near them, so he hung about ten feet away from me, standing guard in his own way. "Feels...dark. This is dark magic, Harry. Dark, dark, magic."

"So it's a warlock?" I asked.

"Don't be an idiot." Bob admonished. "No summon would stick around to rescue their summoner once the summoner loses control. And being kidnapped definitely counts. Once you separate them at a certain range, the link snaps, and poof goes the nasty monster."

"So, it's not a demon, and it can't be Fae, 'cause Billy hit it with the bat and nails and it didn't work." I monologued. "And so far, bugs and spiders side by side isn't very promising. Anything demons capable of sending them through the Nevernever out there?"

"Harry, I said dark magic. Not evil magic." Bob clarified. "Dark does not equal evil. If it does then you'll have already signed up for down Below with Hell's Foreign Legion. This is...it's like shadows. Nothing light, nothing dark, just shadow. Shades of grey and all."

"But powerful," I stated.

"Powerful," Bob agreed. "And terrifying. This kind of magic...not only is loads of power needed, but a strong will to get it done. This is the kind of one-track mind that puts the worst fanatics to shame. The sheer focus and intent involved...it's...something you'd never want to be on the wrong side of."

"The air spirit speaks well," a quiet voice sounded from far off. Immediately turning such that I could face the speaker and hide Bob behind me, I checked out the new guy, an elderly Middle Eastern man with silver hair and one dark eye, the other eye torn out and replaced by something like a silver ball bearing. His face, though tanned, was scarred by the criss-cross scar tissue on it. "Ah, of course," he spoke to none in particular. "Warden Dresden."

He would have been particularly ordinary if I hadn't seen him before. And that he was still holding a staff, the mark of a wizard, with civilian garb. The kind of civilian garb that came with plain robes and overalls and a turban. I sure hoped no 9-11 haters tried anything. "Wizard Rashid," I greeted. "What business does the Gatekeeper of the Senior Council have in Chicago?"

"Dark magic," the Gatekeeper replied simply, eyes still wandering about. "Familiar dark magic, to me. I do believe it was around...nineteen twenty-seven? Tutankhamen's curse brought the White Council trouble far more than Tecumseh's ever did," he mused.

"The _presidential_ death curse?" I yelped. "That was real?"

"Duh," I heard Bob whisper behind me. "Biggest pain of the nineteenth century, that entropy curse. Even the politically separate White Council had to step in and even then, it took a century. Last I heard was that after JFK, they hunted down the entire bloodline."

I chose not to answer that.

"Yes," the Gatekeeper whispered. "The greatest entropy curse this side of time. Then came the old kings."

Now, curses are one of the worst types of magic there is. A lot of emotion is involved, and even after that maybe a death or two is needed, to raise the power for any serious cursing. It was the magical equivalent of heat-seeking missiles; inescapable, unerring, indifferent, lethal, and the only way to stop it is to explode it far, far away from you. Even then, a death curse does the trick, one way or another. I've been on the receiving end of an entropy curse before, and scuppered another one. Even so, the result's ain't pretty. And I barely survived it, any of it.

But, the thing about curses is, a large power source is needed. Serious power's needed before any cursing takes place. After that, serious will is needed to focus it, and even after all that, real, honest intent has to pull the trigger. That's why a wizard's death curse is so scary; someone, with nothing to lose, and they want to _take you down with them,_ so much that all the magic is exhausted into the curse, leaving not even enough magic to keep the heart beating _._ That's why my mother tied her last curse to the bloodline; bloodline curses, as long as a blood member of the family's alive, continue on. I've seen a loup-garou, cursed to become a supernatural killing machine at each full moon by the family curse, on rampage.

It's not pretty. Curses hardly ever are. And if something could weather the centuries of time and still be as lethal as the legend of Tutankhamen's curse...that's some serious mojo. Time and sunrises had eroded it, and it's still this lethal.

Cool. Also scary. But mostly cool.

"I have Medjai blood in me from long ago," the Gatekeeper related. "As one contracted into the service of the old kings by blood, I cannot deny any, more so this one. As such, I am here, but not on the business of the Council. Merely an old man's gut feeling that something is here and coming, as well as warnings from a familiar source. Do tell, Warden; what happened here last night?"

I scratched my head. "Well...there were monsters. Who tried to jump me and a few of the local werewolves. Then, this creepy voice came and told them off 'for not looking for their master', I quote, and then the monsters ran off. The the creepy voice apologised and disappeared..." Despite it being high noon, Chicago was still the Windy City, and as a gale blew through, I shivered as Rashid stiffened to the cold.

My skin tried to crawl away and hide again as I felt a presence from behind me. Conveniently, I had my back faced to the road, and, despite the presence of my leather duster, I felt really exposed.

"Medjai," I heard a tenor, smooth and cultured, murmur behind me. "One of the Pharaoh's Eyes and Ears. How fortunate. It seems that the remains of Khemet reach far and wide."

"And you would be?" the Gatekeeper asked. I took the chance and turned around.

There are few people who can meet me face to face. I'm over six feet tall, after all. So when I came to meet the man eye to eye, it took a long while to direct away my gaze. I was standing three feet away from him, well within my reach. And his. I jumped back immediately; I'd rather not take any fight into close quarters if possible. Wizards function better away; ten feet away, across the next block, from the neighbouring dimension, just far, far away from our target. Magic close-quarters has a tendency to blow up in people's faces. Especially ours.

Our mystery man was wearing a pin-striped shirt, with jeans and sandals on, and nothing else, which made me wonder about his sanity. One doesn't sneak up on a wizard unarmed, after all. The most eye-catching thing was his long black hair which fell to his shoulders, loosely tied back. That, and the complete lack of surprise to see people with staffs. The general reaction to seeing wizards is either that we're charlatans or the monsters of legend.

"I call myself Djer," he introduced himself. "Though I am pleased to see that the blood of Khemet flourishes, even in this city so far, I must continue my search now. The little master is missing, and I must find him-"

"Although I must applaud you for your effort and your foreknowledge, I have seen the Tablet of the Pharaoh with No Name before," the Gatekeeper quietly answered. "You are more known than you would like, Magician of Black. Or would you rather I address you as Dark Magician, signature monster of the Duel Monsters World Champion Yuugi Mutou? A few answers from such an esteemed being as yourself would indeed benefit us greatly."

* * *

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**I tried to make the story more believable by employing the use of really far-removed Medjai ancestry to Rashid, the Medjai being a well-known tribe of nomads famous for being the elite military and body-guarding forces of the Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt.**   
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**According to my estimate, Atemu would either be ruling in the Old Kingdom(4kids dub says five thousand years) or New Kingdom (Japanese sub says three thousand years). I personally think that three thousand years is more believable as 1)magic would be more advanced and 2) pink was around during the New Kingdom, which would explain Black Magician Girl's pink outfit, and 3)The intricacy of the Millennium Puzzle would have been beyond the goldsmiths of the Old Kingdom. However, Old Kingdom seems more likely as sacrificial rites involving the mass killing of people was often done in the Old Kingdom than the New Kingdom.**   
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**Either way, I'm going out on a leg here and saying that Atemu should be ruling in the New Kingdom, which gives it about three thousand years. Still a really significantly long time.**   
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**Yeah, I came across the presidential death curse in History and really wanted to work it in.**   
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**Review more, and I just might update faster... ;D**   
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	4. Spellbinding Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Chapter 3: Spellbinding Circle**

**Chapter 3: Spellbinding Circle**

* * *

 _Earlier..._

"Now, Mr Hendricks, do restrain yourself. We are after all in an airport."

The red-headed linebacker-built bodyguard nodded, hands still clenched into fists. Frankly, his boss couldn't find it in his heart to blame him; O'Hare International was a bodyguard's nightmare. Having tried his hand at it once, Gentleman Johnny Marcone decided that frankly, he couldn't blame the man when it was obvious that he was just doing his job.

Not for the first time, he wondered about the intelligence of personally showing up to welcome this potential partner. Seto Kaiba was known amongst his business partners and dealers as 'the young dragon', and John Marcone very much doubted that it was meant as a jibe to his age at taking over Kaiba Corporation (a mere fourteen, it impressed him) or his taste in games such that he was known as the only man on earth who held the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons of Duel Monsters (not for the first time, John debated why Kaiba was so serious over a children's card game). Still, Kaiba was impressive; not many could successfully change a former producer of weapons of mass-destruction -even for a country such as Japan- into a successful top-grossing gaming company. Even though a part of him still distrusted investing into technology, KaibaCorp's portfolio spoke volumes for its worth enough to convince him.

That part of him was extremely close to the part which was connected to the local supernatural community and its foremost representative, the local wizard. Experience with the local wizard has shown that technology was no match for magic when push came to shove.

From the waiting lounge, a fibreglass dome allowed a view of planes taxiing in and out of O'Hare, the nexus of Chicago. A crossroads of the world where people came and left for other places. Gard stood by the fibreglass window, frowning at something. "Is that...a _dragon?_ " she registered, amazed.

Hendricks' eyes shot wide open at the same time Marcone said: "Ah. That would be our potential partner's ride, then. He should be here quite soon; after all, from what I know of him, he does so love to make an entrance."

Indeed, Seto Kaiba's entrance into the arrival lounge was something worthy of several eye-blinks. Although Kaiba was tall for a Japanese man, this was still America, where bean-poles sprouted up like flies enough to physically dwarf him. Kaiba was _commanding_ ; there was no other way to describe the way he swept into the room with a brunette male teenager Marcone suspected was the infamous younger of the Kaiba brothers with a steel suitcase in one hand and a luggage bag, the kind with built-in rollers, in the other. The younger carried a suitcase as well as another luggage roller, both moving purposefully through the airport, the crowds parting like the Red Sea, Kaiba's white trench coat billowing out in his wake from what little of the Chicago winds managed to sneak indoors. That sheer body language, to Marcone, who had seen the worst the Chicago Outfit could offer, was...

 _Move. Or die. I don't care which._

Behind him, Hendricks had moved into intimidation position on his right, while Gard moved to the left. Despite her cool demeanour, the Mafia overlord and Baron of Chicago could tell that the female warrior was...intimidated, so to speak. This was someone who worked for the Norse Æsir, who sometimes completely forgot the meaning of fear. A woman who had seen a thousand years of blood, death and battle, both supernatural and mortal alike.

Oh, Kaiba looked a lot more interesting now.

"Mr Kaiba," he greeted, offering a hand. "I am John Marcone. How was your trip?"

"Interesting, Kaiba replied non-committally, scanning him with blue eyes the colour of sapphires before the gaze directed to Hendricks. Kaiba made an inarticulate sound as Hendricks' back straightened, before his eyes moved to Gard.

Gard coldly glared back. " _S_ _echem_ _hekau,_ " she addressed.

Kaiba twitched, clutching his briefcase tighter. "I have no quarrel with you."

"No, you do not. I am merely paying my respects to you, lord of dragons," Gard replied respectfully. "Although mine certainly have not been around as long as yours."

"Is he a risk?" Marcone whispered to Gard as they made their way along the busy wide corridors of O'Hare.

"Do not anger him," Gard simply replied. "Although not as powerful as the one who commands him, the magic of the old centuries before Merlin is still to be reckoned with. He is a caller of powers, I can tell; apart from that, no more. It has been three millennia since those with magic like him last walked the earth, and what little knowledge we have is insufficient."

"Furthermore," Gard continued. "This would come under the Acts of God clause of your contract with MonOc Security should you choose not to heed my words."

Marcone raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"Legend speaks of that magic, who last walked the earth three millennia ago and commanded even the will of the higher powers." Gard spoke, almost reverent. "I can sense it; he commands the monsters from which even Fafnir would have cowered from."

As the Cadillac John had ordered driven to O'Hare squeaked with the added weight of two more personalities, Marcone gave the signal to close the window between the driver's seat and the back, which was immediately complied with, wondering if he had now gotten in over his head at Gard's warning.

Time to fish for information. "Do you have any idea what Ms. Gard addressed you as?" he asked, playing the clueless mortal.

Two sets of blue eyes narrowed at him. "It is not your business," the older Kaiba quietly replied.

A sudden explosion that was not felt due to the Caddy's suspension but was certainly heard has Marcone mentally cursing Harry Dresden for having picked _now_ and _here_ of every time and place in Chicago to hold his anarchy-fest rang out.

"What was that?" the younger one asked. Marcone himself was about to lie when there was an abrupt scream. Harry Dresden's scream.

Now Kaiba was going to see Chicago in the form of Harry Dresden, wizard PI and he mentally prepared himself to lose KaibaCorp's business as he tapped on the separating window to indicate that the car should move towards the source of the explosion.

"Do excuse our detour," he heard himself say to the Kaiba brothers. "But the resident act has started, and it's so very hard to miss it..."

* * *

The thing about knee-jerk reflex is that it's pretty automatic. I mean, in combat, if your knee-jerk reflex is to kick the guy down or blast him to bits, then your life is saved.

The bad thing about knee-jerk reflex is that it's knee-jerk. Muscle memory. You don't really forget what you pound into flesh and muscle without a lot of work.

My hand automatically came out with my .44 cocked and ready to shoot, but there was hardly a warning before something came down hard on my wrist and made me let go. In reflex, I grabbed his hair and yanked, concealing Bob and a few strands of hair before the actual pain set in.

Faster than I believed possible, Djer was holding a green staff, a wide knob glowing, close to my face. I could just feel the buzz of magic, ready to strike if I so much as looked wrong at it. Djer had landed his foot on the revolver, and the Gatekeeper could not hit him with me in the way.

"You would threaten someone without weapons?" Djer hissed into my face. Behind me, I heard the Gatekeeper sigh. "You would strike before knowing both sides of the story?"

"You're dark," I shot back. I could feel dark power rolling off him in the way that few others had ever managed; to scare me.

"So are you, wizard. I at least am part of the shadows; their magic is mine to command. It cannot be helped that I am dark," Djer replied, his face now a mask of fury. "I know you have another foci on you, wizard. If you draw it, I will fight back with weapons of my own."

Of course, just then, I had chosen to draw my blasting rod and aim it at him.

His eyes narrowed. "So be it. _Spellbinding Circle!_ "

I choked as a sigil-covered circle materialised and held me in place. The flow of my magic was abruptly stoppered, for lack of better terms, and my movement frozen as Djer stepped back. All my power was stoppered in my arms and it bloody hurt. Especially with Soulfire. I screamed in pain as the channelled power burnt muscle tissue before the flow of magic stopped.

"I have wasted enough time here," Djer ground out to the Gatekeeper, who still have not moved. "You, Wizard Rashid, I know you have met Shaadi before. No doubt he has; I can tell from your aura." He then continued in a language whose sounds I was pretty damn sure held no consonants in the English language before nodding and turning to leave, kicking the revolver away from me.

It was just then that the roar of a huge gas-guzzling dinosaur sounded as a huge Cadillac drove up from around the corner. I knew that Cadillac just as well as I knew its owner; on sight. As the Caddy skidded to a stop, I saw a familiar linebacker step out of the driver's seat, something in his hand. I bet good money it's a gun.

"Mr Dresden," Gentleman Johnny Marcone's voice called from the back of the Caddy. "I do believe you require assistance."

"Don't try it," I heard another voice reply, short and sharp. "I know his opponent. Mr Hendricks, do put down the gun. Our mystery attacker was just about to leave the man in the circle unharmed, after all."

"Oh yes, I must introduce you. The man in the circle is Mr Harry Dresden, the resident wizard of the greater Chicago area." Marcone continued.

"Yes, I guessed as much," I heard the dry reply.

"Priest?" I heard Djer exclaim before the rogue wizard walked over to the Caddy, yelling in the same twisted language.

"He's speaking Demotic," I heard Bob say from my coat pocket, where I'd stuffed him before being taken down. "Ancient Egyptian. Same thing as he told the Gatekeeper."

"So what did he say?" I asked as quietly as I could.

"'The little great house is missing, must find little great house soon before great house figures it out and comes here.'" Bob recited. "That's the blind idiot translation. 'Great House' can also mean 'Pharaoh'."

The reply came, short and sharp, with a phrase I vaguely recognised as English: _Duel Monsters._

What the heck?

"'Find him before the Duel Monsters tournament.' That's the reply." Bob translated.

Djer replied equally angry, a garbled string of unintelligible words flowing from his mouth.

"'We are searching the city. He is hidden from the shadows, so we are using a grid search to narrow down the area. The denizens of Chicago are helping us; they do not want the King of Nightmares to descend here either.'" Bob translated, before Djer huffed and ran off away from us.

Hendricks had aimed and was about to shoot before there was the audible sound of a gun jamming. Djer spun around and gestured towards my direction. As the circle dissolved, returning my magic to me, I saw the man disappear in a burst of black-purple mist.

"Interesting show," I heard the dry voice remark. I turned to see the Caddy's other occupant. This man was eye-catching in the commanding way. Black trousers, black turtleneck, white steel-studded sleeveless trench coat, numerous straps on his arms and legs, black boots, all combined with a serious expression and piercing blue eyes the colour of sapphires. The cereal bowl mullet should have looked stupid, but instead was regal, commanding, and the predatory way he glared towards me truly made me fear for my life.

John Marcone introduced me to him as Chicago's resident wizard.

Son of a gun. The man took me as a tourist attraction.

"Seto Kaiba," Mr Death-Glare introduced himself. The name tripped unfamiliarly from his lips, and I guessed that either he didn't introduce himself too often, or he had deliberately messed up the pronunciation to avoid giving me his True Name.

"Harry Dresden," I replied, reaching out a hand which he shook.

There are ways wizards use to tell apart their own from other mortals. One is that there's a tingling sensation upon hand contact between wizards. Only wizards feel that magic that lives in others and around them.

The moment I let go of Kaiba's hand, I felt like I just stuck my hand into the electrical socket and turned the output all the way to eleven. Biting my lip, I just managed to avoid shaking my hand out as Kaiba let go.

"Mr Hendricks, my card back, if you please," the man ordered. As Cujo passed it back I saw a woman's face attached to a spider's body. A spider that looked a lot like the arachnid which attacked us.

"Hey, can I have a look at that?" I asked.

The man sneered at me. "Suit yourself."

The card in question was like the kind used in trading card games, a picture with a little empty space under which was printed the effect, stats, and a few other things. Due to a weekly game of Arcanos, I could readily identify a few common-sense stuff, but not all. Overhead the caption was printed _Insect Queen._

"Keep the card," Kaiba decided, obviously irritated. "Mr Marcone, my brother is about to fall asleep, so if your driver can get us to the Rothschild, we can take it from there. Please."

"Very well, Mr Kaiba. Have a good day, Mr Dresden." Marcone told me smugly as Hendricks got back into the Caddy.

As the antique gas-guzzling dinosaur drove off, one question was on my mind:

Why were monsters from a _card game_ running about?

* * *

"So that's the resident wizard?" the older Kaiba remarked. "Lucky you."

Marcone thought back to all the explosions, the property damage, the supernatural monster rampages, the incineration of entire buildings due to the actions of a certain sometimes clueless wizard, the collateral damage, and, at one time, the T-Rex zombie rampaging through Chicago one Halloween. "Oh? Why?"

Seto Kaiba looked at him. "I went to the same high school as two students who just seemed to attract everything weird around them. People have gone flat-out insane upon crossing One of them. The other...let's just say that Hell has nothing on them. And, even after graduation, weird things happen at Duel Monsters tournaments. Real monsters appear in my home-town on a regular basis. Compared to what I go through daily, one wizard isn't very eye-catching."

Later, Hendricks would swear that there was a sense of...almost-bonding between his boss and the CEO as they chatted over drinks about the resident...things that happen in their cities. Two men who face the weird on a regular basis, who had finally found a compatriot.

* * *

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**Well, that was fun...somewhat.**   
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**Yuugi finally appears in the next chapter! As well as a few sentient darknesses...**   
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**Please review!**   
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	5. Mind on Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Please review!** _

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**Please review!**   
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* * *

**Chapter 5: Mind on Air**

There was a distinct lack of windows here, the young man noticed.

Already he could not see more than what was right before his nose; whoever had kidnapped him had brought him somewhere he didn't recognise. Alone, in a strange land at the hands of people with uncertain intentions, he could do nothing. There was an attached wash-room and toilet where they kept him, food came once a day, enabling him access to food as well as the capability to tell how long he had been trapped here (three days), and he still held his cards, but they did not sing to him as they once did, the magic no longer responded when he called, or dulled when it came, useless for any other purpose than entertainment.

It was as if he was trapped in a zone where the shadows could not reach him. By all rights, being cut off from the shadows should have been impossible. Then again, he had seen a lot of things such that the word didn't feature in his dictionary.

Something at the back of his head stirred, almost familiar but not quite, like a forgotten memory rising to the surface. A familiar...absence of light.

That wasn't right...right? That _darkness_ was already long gone...

The one means of egress, the locked steel door, slammed open, and the trapped one looked to see his captor with the customary meal once more.

"Are you ready to tell me where is the puzzle now?" went the cold, toneless voice as the masked man set down his food.

"I have already told you," he answered, as he had the first few times. "Buried. Gone."

The man nodded grimly. "Then I will have to find another way to get my wish. And you will finally lose your value."

Then, as the door swung shut and the locks rattled, the trapped one, shrouded in shadow, tentatively spoke out in the tongue familiar to him: " _Yami?_ "

He could've sworn that he heard the shadows respond: " _Aibou..._ "

No...he couldn't have...that familiar darkness was to have gone... _the dead remain_ _dead, and the dead do not remain faithful...right?_

 _I am hallucinating..._

Somehow, even in complete darkness, he could feel that presence, so close yet so far.

" _I am your darkness. I am cruelty to your kindness. I am dark to your light, ruthlessness to your mercy. I am here,..._

 _...and I will never leave you._ "

If the captive one's eyes could pierce the darkness, he would have seen the shadows flicker without warning.

* * *

Katsuya Jounochi looked up to see who had approached him and immediately dead-panned: "Oh crap."

"It seems that your language skills have not improved, Master Jounochi," the not-very-noticeable Black Magician Girl replied, face pale and lacking the usual energy he remembered of the character.

"So, you're here, where's Yuugi? Please tell me you've found him." the blonde Duellist begged.

"Monsters are searching the city as we speak to find him," the Black Magician Girl answered, flicking blonde hair over her shoulder. She was dressed more...normal than the usual blue and pink garb, which definitely explained why no one had noticed the two of them.

"Hold it. You're saying that Duel Monsters are currently... _running around this city_." the blonde Duellist finally registered.

"Yes."

"In broad _daylight._ In the middle of the summer. In the middle of the quarter- through finals of the Duel Monsters World Championships. _"_

"Yes."

"In front of all the people in Second City, who already think duellists are as weird as they come."

"Yes."

He finally knew how Anzu felt as he introduced his palm to his forehead. "Crap. Kaiba's gonna kill me."

"So I surmised," Black Magician Girl answered. "It gets worse."

"How can it?" Jounochi was almost afraid to ask.

"Master is coming."

There was a beat of silence. "The master who once held the Sennen Puzzle."

"Yes."

"The master that, by all intents and purposes, should be _dead_ and in the afterlife."

"Yes."

"The master who, three years ago, went to the afterlife and left behind a series of wacked-out powers for Yuugi."

"Yes," the Black Magician Girl was beginning to look annoyed.

"Er...that's bad, right?" Jounochi was almost afraid to ask.

"Should master actually make it here, the monsters of this city would be bound to serve him." the Magician Girl had a contemplative look. "Most likely, master would tear apart the city to look for little master."

"Yeah, that's the Pharaoh. Tear apart the city for Yuugi." Jounochi sighed. "At least the other Bakura isn't coming..."

"That possibility is rapidly diminishing." Black Magician Girl voiced out. "Master Bakura likewise wishes to secure the safety of his _hikari._ In fact, he is already on his way as we speak."

"Hold it, we're talking about two dead guys. How can they get here anyway?"

There was a serious expression as the Black Magician Girl slowly answered. "No one really dies as long as you hold them in your heart."

Katsuya Jounochi sighed in answer. "Right, then, so, monsters, running around Second City...why?"

"Someone has somehow cut off little master from the shadows," the Black Magician Girl answered seriously. "Despite so, they can never sever the ties little master harbours with those of his deck. We of his deck can tell whenever he is within proximity."

The blonde Duellist secretly shivered. "I feel very bad for anyone the Black Magician gets his hands on. After I'm through with him, of course."

Black Magician Girl frowned. "There is a queue waiting to do so. You would have to wait for your revenge, friend of the masters."

"...is that your way of saying 'join the queue'?"

"It might."

Jounochi sighed before a wave of migraines broke through. "I'm going to help out. Kaiba's in Chicago, he can handle the people here better than anyone else."

"I will stay to inform the Blue-Eyes' master, then," Black Magician Girl replied as he turned to go. "I wish you good luck with your search."

"Let's see..." the blonde duellist muttered to himself, rifling through a deck of brown cards. "What to home in on them...ah-ha! Baby Dragon!"

The orange mini mythical reptile with wings appeared, nodding at its summoner.

"Home in on Yuugi!" he commanded.

The Baby Dragon gave him a look, then diverted its gaze to its paws, before snorting and flying off, beckoning its master to follow...

* * *

You know, wizards have another skill in their arsenal that most don't know: we're great scene technicians. In the sense that we can completely preserve a crime scene such that it's preserved about the same as it is found.

Conversely, we also know how to completely scrub them.

Think about this: we leave behind a part of ourselves. A lock of hair, a speck of blood, a fleck of saliva; anything that can not only be used to identify us through whatever gizmos exist in a crime scene lab, but can also be used thaumaturgically speaking to form a conduit to send nasty juju through our natural magical resistance to us. Nasty curses, hexes, you name it, can easily bypass even the strongest link as long as you've got a piece of them -excretory fluids do not count; just because you are what you eat does not mean that what leaks out is part of you-, be it hair, blood or nail clippings.

Likewise, you can do the opposite and use the little part of them and track the rest of them.

Still, the lock of hair I managed to retrieve from Djer didn't want to cooperate with me. It was like the thing was magic-retardant; every time I tried the tracking spell it just didn't take. Even my usual tracking spell of inserting the smell of it into my nose -not pretty, that one- didn't work.

"I highly doubt a simple tracking spell would take, Wizard Dresden," the Gatekeeper gravely replied. "After all, it would take a lot more than normal trackers to find one of the shadows."

"Shadows? Been there, done that, got the Doom lifted for it," I grated, trying to resist banging my head against the Blue Beetle parked nearby in a fit of impotent anger. The Beetle didn't deserve another dent, after all. Plus, it's too cute.

"Ah, Victor Sells," the Gatekeeper shook his head. "I speak of pre-Merlin magic, Wizard Dresden."

I froze there immediately.

You know, there's a saying that whatever we have today is the product of several ancient civilisations of work. In a way, they are right. Magic is the same thing; the nastiest curses, the worst of the horrors, the darkest of the legends, all came from the ancients. The same people who gave us mathematics, astronomy, the calendar, architecture, culture, were the same who invented the weapons of war, the methods of murder, the strategies of success. The worst of the old magics before there was anything remotely resembling a White Council was invented by peoples without such moral guidance to tell them what to do with this power, as kings used it for their own ends.

And power without guidance always destroys.

Whole civilisations were destroyed before certain wizards whose names remain lost to history got their heads down from the clouds and united the wizards of the Old World into a tentative alliance for the sake of humanity, binding the use of magic forever after into seven Laws carved in steel. Soon after strict enforcement of the rules by Merlin himself, this alliance reached via the influence of the Old World, east to the edges of the Orient, north to the furthest reaches of the Arctic, south to the plains of the Savannah, and west to the New World, forming into the White Council today. The chaos of the ancient world was now left buried in the sands of history and time, a monolith to what happens when power goes unchecked.

Chaos. Anarchy. Beyond anything seen before. Today's war-zones might be charitable in comparison. I may not like the self-righteous, hypocritical, politically oriented pricks that make up a large part of the White Council, but I agree that, whoever thought of it had something going for them. Most of the White Council believe that magic before Merlin's enforcement of the seven Laws had caused the destruction of empires, the fall of civilisations, some say even the formation of the Order of the Blackened Denarius.

They -conveniently- forget that ancient magic has been around a lot longer than the Blackened Denarii have.

"Well, it seems like Djer has realised what you intend with his hair." the Gatekeeper voiced out. I looked to see the lock of hair disintegrate into a mass of black mist, very much like shadows, twitching in a bid to be free of the circle I had drawn for the tracking spell.

An idea began to bloom in my mind.

"Say, Gatekeeper," I found myself saying. "How good are you at running?"

( **Scene change!** )

"You need a new car." the Gatekeeper told me as the Blue Beetle chased after the shadow at fifty miles an hour.

"No cash," I grunted, doing a sharp ninety-degree turn. "Plus, the Beetle's easy to fix."

Needles to say, the Gatekeeper had pointed out that there was the miracle of modern technology that would undoubtedly be faster than either of us could ever do, even if it is something broken. This had resulted in an awkward 'Duh!' moment where I face-palm and cannot believe that I hadn't thought of that.

It was a few more minutes of highly illegal driving of the likes of license losing -which I would not say because then I'd implicate you in my law-breaking, and I'm pretty sure I broke the fourth wall there, but no biggie- before the shadow-mass thing showed any sign of slowing down. By then, I parallel-parked the Beetle and threw myself out and in pursuit of it.

The thing slipped past my fingers right before I grabbed down, and I overbalanced, crashing into asphalt on my side. Thanks to my enchanted coat -no jokes- the pain was dulled, but I could still feel it.

Coat needs another round, I decided, before starting to pick myself up. The Gatekeeper walked to me about five steps before he suddenly stopped. "Oh."

That's when I looked up.

And found myself face-to-face with a dragon.

* * *

"Mai," Diana calmly stated as she looked out of the window. "Yuugi's in Chicago, isn't he?"

Mai sighed, resisting the urge to slap her forehead with her palm. It was easy to tell where the little Duellist ever went; just look out for mysterious phenomena occurring where no one would ever think it would. Despite the obvious benefits of being able to summon the denizens of her deck more easily, the weird situations were still hair-raising enough for Mai to call an immediate sabbatical after each one, the most recent being the semi-finals of the Duellist World Championships, where the guest star had been swamped by the then-fighting Vanity's Ruler and Vanity's Fiend. Both DuelDisksTM were thoroughly checked after the match, and returned with no results, much to KaibaCorp's CEO's and the King of Games' embarrassment. It was easier to tolerate the presence of sentient monsters between breaks from Yuugi. "What happened now?" the blonde wearily asked the brunette.

" _Sanctuary in the Sky,_ " Diana replied, peering out of the window. "Along with... _Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen,_ I think." Having seen first-hand how her own card-monsters took form before her to drive off a mugger before, Duel Monsters materialising were hardly new to her, which made Diana the perfect companion for Mai to spill all the woes of a deck full of Harpies and Amazons.

Mai blinked. "That's new. It's usually a few monsters instead of a Spell card. A Field Spell, too."

The two Duellists blinked further a a black blur flew past their window, the rest of the plane's occupants unheeding of the spectacle outside. Odd; one would expect the obligatory child "Look, Mummy, it's a giant bird!" and the replying "That's nice, dear," about now.

As a green and a yellow blur sped past again, the Duellists blinked. " _Dark Simorgh,_ the _Bird of Divinity_ and the _Bird of Ancestry?_ " Mai murmured.

"Something is brewing in Gay Paree," Diana answered, her hand flying to her side where the deck holster was. Mai felt her own Harpies answer. "Breaker, Defender..."

Mai was so absorbed, she didn't bother to correct her friend's statement. "Yuugi, what the hell are you up to?" she whispered, just as the intercom signed on: " _Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, we're now landing at O'Hare International Airport,_ _Chicago, Illinois, United States of America..._ "

* * *

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**Okay, first things first; there are three known Simorgh monsters: 'Dark Simorgh', 'Simorgh, Bird of Divinity' and 'Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry', which are black, green and yellow huge falcon-like Winged-Beast Wind-Type monsters. We've touched on 'Sanctuary in the Sky' before, so I'm not going to elaborate on that one. 'Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen' is a Continuous Spell card that looks like the inside of the Parthenon. Or, basically, a roof supported with pillars. Look for the image yourself; it's not too important here yet.**   
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	6. Marie the Fallen One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**I hereby dedicate this story to ZecoreZecron, who was nice enough to post Iced Chaos (should be familiar to you DF x Bleach fans out there) on the TvTropes(dot)Org wiki under Dresden Files Fanfic Recs. Celebrate (I think...), for the story just made the cut for** _ **the ten percent worth dying for.**

_  
**I hereby dedicate this story to ZecoreZecron, who was nice enough to post Iced Chaos (should be familiar to you DF x Bleach fans out there) on the TvTropes(dot)Org wiki under Dresden Files Fanfic Recs. Celebrate (I think...), for the story just made the cut for**   
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**the ten percent worth dying for.**

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**This is for you.**   
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**Enjoy!**   
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**(And if any f you think it's worthy to put this up on the Fanfic Rec Page, I'd appreciate it if you tell me and send me the link to celebrate over!)**   
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**Chapter 6: Marie the Fallen One**

 _Previously..._

 _That's when I looked up, a_   
_nd found myself face-to-face with a dragon..._

 _Sanctuary in the Sky, and Valhalla of the Fallen..._

 _Dark Simorgh, the Bird of Divinity and the Bird of Ancestry?_

 _Yuugi...what are you up to?_

You're on your knees, hands on the ground, face-to-face with a by all rights mythical fire-breathing reptile that looks like it could eat all of you. Don't ever do what I did.

I screamed in what was a hopefully manly way and back-pedalled to my feet, hands reaching for a blasting rod and gesturing in a way prepared to send energy to my shield bracelet. It took about four seconds before I realised that the yellow-scaled dragon was a) about half my height and b) looking at me with those huge slitted eyes of...innocence.

A part of me wanted to choke. Another part wanted to laugh. A third part just wanted to freak out.

Monsters making googly eyes at you is never a good sign of sanity. They're like unicorns; you think they're cute and innocent, but any horse with a horn on it's head and is shown as smiling is up to something. Same principle here, except that we replace the horn with sharp claws and...teeth. Oh, the teeth. It was only that expression of googly eyes that kept me from truly drawing my blasting rod.

I blinked.

It blinked back.

I blinked.

It blinked.

I blinked.

It blinked.

I...

"Wizard Dresden," the Gatekeeper severely stated, "this is amusing, but we are running out of time. I have a bad feeling. Plus, the blinking is getting irritating and serves no purpose save to torture us."

"Baby Drag'n, wait up...oh," a blonde man abruptly stopped yelling as he ran up to us.

My jaw about hit the floor as he started telling off the dragon who could probably eat him. "Is this your...dragon?" I finished lamely.

He looked at me. "Yea'," he replied warily, a hint of a Brooklyn accent in his voice. "And then...?"

"So you do know that by Department for the Regulation and Control of magical Creatures, it is illegal to raise dragons?" Was my only smart comeback.

I heard the Gatekeeper choke behind me. Yeah, I hated those books too.

The look on the man face's was absolutely priceless. " _Harry Potter?_ "

"I hated those books." When you share the same first name with the world's most well-known boy wizard, and advertise as a wizard under the Yellow Pages...yeah, this was one scenario where truth really was weirder than fiction. "Stupid prank callers...so, anyway, no, Harry Potter's not real, but magic certainly is, and you're the owner of a...dragon. No matter how weird that sounded right then. Wait, don't move, I need answers about why monsters are running loose," I added as he tensed up to run. Frankly, I would too, in his shoes. "I'm Harry Dresden." I introduced myself.

He looked at my outstretched hand warily. "That s'posed to mean anythin' to me?"

"I'm a wizard," I introduced myself, bracing for the inevitable snickers.

"And?" he continued, drawing the word out, now wary. "Now, if you're after the puzzle, it's buried in some unspecified part of Egypt. Happy hunting."

I blinked. The gatekeeper choked again, this time sounding...concerned?

The -baby?- dragon cocked it's head and motioned to the blonde, who looked back at it with concerned eyes. After a few seconds where dragon and human communicated by means unknown to me, he finally faced me again, this time with a different expression from the scowl; one of a completely blank expression.

"Why does the Baby Dragon say you feel like Shaadi?" he finally asked, looking behind me.

To the Gatekeeper.

"We have...had a mutual acquaintance in the priest," the Gatekeeper corrected himself. "He was civil, if a bit fixated on fate, although I have heard that he has finally laid down to eternal rest a few years ago."

The blonde snorted, shuddering slightly. "Glad he's gone, though."

"As much as it pains me to admit this of a fellow countryman..." the Gatekeeper's voice took on a pained tone. "Indeed. He is the only other person, other than you, I have ever seen with such power over the denizens of the Realm of Shadows."

There was a Law in the White Council specifically against the controlling of sentient beings. Which included monsters. For the man to be able to keep his head...okay, I have no idea, really.

"I take it then that the Nameless Pharaoh walks this earth once more," the Gatekeeper quietly continued, almost in a...reverent tone. As a rule, wizards don't get impressed easily. To be able to command such from one of the seven most powerful wizards on the globe _...wow._ Just, _wow._

"Er, how d'you say it..." the man now looked nervous. "Well, he's...dead, and he's...gone, and he kinda left his other half here...and his other half is missing, and all the monsters are going out of whack and running around town looking for Yuugi because if Yuugi isn't found then we have one pissed off angry dead spirit somehow reaching through the afterlife back here. Yeah. With Shadow powers."

I had no idea what he just said. Fortunately, the Gatekeeper did. Judging from the way I suddenly felt his grip on my forearm as the elderly wizard tried to stand on his own strength again, the Gatekeeper could understand the significance of that all right. "Shadow magic..." the Gatekeeper sighed. "This...other half...would you be referring to the one who has gained the knowledge and power of darkness? The one who solved the Puzzle of a Thousand Years, the Millennium Puzzle? And what is your name?" He added as an after-thought.

"Nice to meet you too," he sarcastically replied. "Yeah, Yuugi solved the pyramid puzzle..." he trailed off as the significance of the Gatekeeper's words sank in. "I'm Katsuya Jounochi," he continued abruptly, his hand diving into a gesture towards the baby dragon. My eyes must have popped as it was dismissed, fading into silver mist. "Alias, Joey Wheeler. Yeah, the other half would be him. Say, can we talk somewhere else? This ain't the sort of thing to talk about in public, and I got a police station to harass."

* * *

It was at luggage collection that Ryou Bakura felt _that_ migraine again.

The white-haired, green-eyed Duellist, now in his nineteenth year, froze there, snapped out of the depression brought on by proximity to airports, especially one as busy as O'Hare, hardly daring to move. Hardly daring to believe that the nightmare supposedly buried under the sands of Egypt could have returned.

 _Yadounushi..._ the chilling rasp of a psychotic thief supposedly banished and never to return echoed in his mind, Ryou startled back to the real world as the darkness' presence faded once more. Ryou sighed as he caught his eyes wandering to his medical supply bag. It was time to see a therapist again.

The darkness' presence returned full force as soon as Ryou had loaded himself into the taxi and given his destination. _Yadounushi!_

If he could, he would have screamed, but the Thief King held a mental grip on his vocal chords. " _Don't do that yet."_ the psychotic thief warned him mentally. _"I know, you probably hate me, you want nothing to do with me, but I ain't joking here. This has nothing to do with possessing you -can't do that anyway- and everything to do with the Pharaoh's_ hikari _going missing. Also, I'm really sorry for the abuse, by the way._

Even muted, Ryou could comprehend the significance of such an action, and thus could feel the gasp making its way up. Although he still doubted it was the _other_ Bakura and more of a mental condition...

 _Precisely,_ the voice continued. _I'm not a hallucination brought on by depression to your dad dying -not that it made any difference to your life anyway- but, one way or another, I need you to get the midget's deck back into his hands before Halloween. Yuugioh's^ worrying himself sick and the last thing we need is for him to try to pull the resurrection miracle. Although frankly I wouldn't put it past him to already try that, but until Halloween. It's the apocalyptic kind of emergency that means that the psycho Pharaoh's gonna bring the wrath of all three if he manages to pass through the veil between worlds. Can't hold him back for long, hurry up, the last thing I need is to be dragged with him to the mortal realm again._

Yep, that was Thief King Akefia* Bakura all over it. The man-spirit-whatever really had all the survival traits of a cockroach. How he survived the blasting of Zorc was something that both intrigued and disturbed the former _hikari_. And then there was the matter of _three_ to deal with. _Three_ in Sennen Item, Duel Monsters context could only refer to the three first ever God Cards** created.

***Saint Dragon, God of Osiris. Giant God Soldier of Obelisk. And the Winged Dragon of Ra.

 _Overkill, but there's no kill like level-the-whole-city overkill._ The Thief King cackled. _Even though this frankly means something along the lines of end of the world._ He added, now serious.

The _hikari_ really considered, for the first time, a visit to a sanatorium.

 _Don't you dare._

Ryou felt like crying. _How_ did he come back to ruin his life every single time?

And why was he letting the thief?

* * *

^ _**Japanese Romanji translation: Game King. Put in context, Yuu-Gi-Oh. Get the hint?**_

* _ **Akefia is actually a name invented by fan-sites, but I found it too irresistible to pass up.**_

** _ **Please note that while I might not be following Synchro Summon, I will however be applying the other non-Synchro monsters found throughout all the animé/manga series. Which means that somewhere out there is a boy with an Elemental Hero deck, and thus means that yes, there are more than three God Cards. We have the Wicked Gods, the Planet cards, etc. However, always remember that no matter how many God Cards there were, the Egyptians came first. Thus, no matter what, any Duel Monsters fan would always remember the Egyptian Gods better than any other. After all, no matter what, the original three to me are still**_ **friggin' awesome** _ **.**_

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*****The names are the Japanese-translated versions. Ra I can accept, Obelisk as well, but**   
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**Slifer**   
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_? Come on, at least Osiris had a link to Ancient Egyptian mythology._   
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	7. Change of Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Awesome! With this fic marked in Fanfic Recs, i now aim to put this fic in the YuGiOh! section of Fanfic Recs, followed by...the Crowning Moment of Awesome (CMOA)! Help me by putting this fic up on TvTropes(dot)org.** _

_  
**Awesome! With this fic marked in Fanfic Recs, i now aim to put this fic in the YuGiOh! section of Fanfic Recs, followed by...the Crowning Moment of Awesome (CMOA)! Help me by putting this fic up on TvTropes(dot)org.**   
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**Tv Tropes will ruin your life, but in a good way.**   
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**Creative Commons!  
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**Chapter 7: Change of Heart**

It was five days to my birthday, and I was in the police station.

Not like _that_.

Murphy's expression upon seeing Katsu- Jouno- ah heck, _Joey_ was to arrange her expression back to cool, neutral professionalism. "Mr Jounochi," she greeted. "We are working on your case already. Please return to your accommodation while the Chicago police deal with your missing friend."

"Hell, he's...important," the blonde shrugged. "We have the Duel Monsters World Championships final match right on Halloween, Kaiba's renting out Wrigley Stadium for this, and if the defending champion's not there...well, it ain't gonna be pretty."

Murphy did not look amused as she turned to me. "And you. Dresden, we got more monster sightings."

"We know," the Gatekeeper replied.

Murphy's eyes narrowed. "Dresden, this is...?"

Uh oh. "Gatekeeper, Sergeant Karrin Murphy, Chicago PD. Murphy, Gatekeeper, Council. My end." I introduced the two. "He's a decent one, no worries."

The slightly shorter blonde cop relaxed slightly. "Ah. So, anyway, about these monsters...?"

"The missing person he's looking for is at the heart of this," I nodded in Joey's direction. "The monsters are connected too; I met one who put me down in three seconds flat."

"Monster sightings?" Joey exclaimed, jumping up. "Any pictures?"

"Low quality, so they might be hoaxes," Murphy replied as the other blonde snatched at the photos. "Most of them at night. We had reports of a...miniature yellow dragon..."

"Duel Monsters, Normal Monster, Baby Dragon," Joey absently replied, pulling out his card to show us. At the same time, the Baby Dragon in question jumped up to greet us. "Level three, attack twelve hundred, defence seven hundred."

Murphy's mouth fell open in a O. I felt like copying her too. "Er, a sort of colourful dark clown, that one," she pointed into the grainy photograph, still staring at the googly-eyed dragon.

That's just creepy, I tell you. No dragon should make that expression.

"Saggi the Dark Clown, attack six hundred, defence fifteen hundred," he replied, examining more of the photos. "Yep, Duel Monsters running around."

"Man with green staff, long hair, talking in Ancient Egyptian..." I supplied. "Used a sort of weird sigil-laced circle on me. Name of Djer."

"That's..." Joey's eyes widened comically. "Yuugi's Black Magician. God, if the Black Magician's in town..."

Murphy began firing questions at him. "A dark green bug?"

"Probably Man-Eater Bug, but I'll need a photo. One bug looks a lot like another."

"A giant spider? That looks like a black-widow relative?"

"Probably Insect Queen."

"A tiger?"

"Was it carrying an axe?"

" _What?"_

"So," I interrupted them. "Monsters from a _card game,_ " as corny as _that_ sounds... "are running about the city of Chicago, apparently searching for their 'little master', as I heard them say, who is apparently your friend as well," I pointed to Joey, "and somehow, in all this, is probably wrapped up in some sort of crazy Ancient Egyptian stuff. Where did I miss the sign that said _The Mummy_?"

The blonde man twitched uncomfortably. "Well...I have no idea how to start..."

"At the beginning would be nice," the Gatekeeper interjected. I mentally upgraded him in my book; anyone with that sense of humour was worth knowing.

"I'm a Duellist. My whole livelihood depends on winning these matches, or Duels we call them. And I'm one of the few who call the heart of the cards," Joey proudly told his tale. "In the game, I'm third best in the world, but Yuugi and Kaiba beat me every time. Of course, Yuugi beats Kaiba most of the time as well, but then, you can count Yuugi's losses on one hand and still have fingers to spare.

"Anyway, a few years before this, Yuug' solved the puzzle. It took him eight years. He was sixteen when it was finally completed."

"Admirable," the Gatekeeper breathed. "I had lost a bond-brother who dedicated his entire life to solving it. So the child inherited the powers and knowledge of darkness, and one wish granted."

I felt a chill run down my spine, and my skin crawl. Dark, while not absolute, often led back to black magic, whose wielders were labelled warlocks by the White Council. The result of what the White Council did to warlocks came back to haunt me. In my mind's eye, I saw a person, their head decapitated, still screaming as the head contained in a black bag went _thunk_ on a concrete floor...the results of warlocks gone mad from their power was even worse.

What kind of sick fate had the child been condemned to by solving a _puzzle?_

"Yuugi, well, he's always been a bullying case." Joey continued wistfully. "Heck, even I used to. But then, he defended me in a fight." Joey's eyes were unfocused, as if on a distant memory as his hands dipped into his pockets. I saw Murphy tense until he extracted out a rather well-used wallet and showed us a photograph of four people; Joey himself, a woman with brown hair cut in a bob haircut, a man with brown hair arranged commando-style, and...wow. An innocent-looking, amethyst-eyed, vertically challenged punk with spiky multi-coloured hair of violet, black and blonde bangs with a bondage fetish. "There's something about him...well, you have to meet him to know what, exactly...Yuugi's the one with the colourful hair."

Vertically challenged, innocent looking, weird hair: yeah, the perfect combination for a bully victim. Especially with that bondage costume.

"It's natural," Joey continued. "the hair, that is."

"That's natural?" Murphy voiced sceptically.

"Grampa Mutou back home in Domino had the same hair as well." he shrugged. "Anyway. Yuug' solved the puzzle. Somehow, there was a...spirit trapped in the Puzzle. Another, slightly more...dark...Yuugi, so to speak. Like a sort of...not so nice Yuugi."

"The Hyde to his Jekyll," Murphy remarked.

Joey solemnly nodded. "One way or another, anyone who crossed him either became incapacitated, permanently insane, and in a few cases, dead. The result of the Shadow Games and the...overprotective dark spirit. With a tendency towards disproportionate retribution."

"The Nameless Pharaoh," the Gatekeeper supplied. "Shaadi told me. The one who held the power and knowledge and darkness, and sealed the games of judgement with the sacrifice of his own soul and name."

"Yeah. Anyway, after a long time where we didn't know why anyone who tried anything to Yuugi went nuts, the spirit regained his memory, and after a really long ritual and battle where our souls were put up as ante, yeah, we won, and he went back. Story's lacking a few details, but that's the gist of it." Joey shrugged. "So, anyway, the monsters told me, that to solve this whole thing, we need to find Yuugi. Before midnight on Halloween. Or we have an angry dead spirit who's probably a few cards short of a full deck to deal with."

"An angry and powerful dark spirit with the monsters at his beck and call," the Gatekeeper added. "Not to mention the aid of Egypt's people. Those who know of the legends bow down to him and him alone. Three thousand years had not diminished their respect or fear of his power..."

* * *

" _The Tomb Robber's returned?_ "

It was thankful that the whole conversation had been spoken in Japanese, otherwise Ryou was fairly sure that the entire exhibition packed full of Duellists would have definitely noticed. Marik Ishtar was a lot of things, but no one had ever said that _discreet_ and _unnoticeable_ was one of them. So, the only other _hikari_ within reach as also met the return of the other half and proceeded to declare it in the loudest manner possible.

After all, the return of a psychotic presence in one's head was a bit difficult to miss.

"Bloody hell, how did that happen?" the Egyptian muttered as several titters from a group of female Duellists sounded. The world-ranked fifth -having lost to Kaiba and Jounochi in the last biannual World Championships- looked just about ready to commit murder.

"I wouldn't know." Ryou -the world-ranked fourth- quietly answered. "It's like the whole city...is cursed..."

"Where's the _chibi King?_ " Marik asked, finally noticing the absence of the vertically challenged King of Games.

"According to Bakura, he's … missing?" Ryou's eyes screwed up, as if in deep thought. "As if the Duels aren't enough already..."

Both their skins began to crawl as they felt the dark presence of the shadows well up. Ryou gasped as he felt some threatening power. "That was..."

"That." Marik pointed to his right, where several Toon monsters had already assembled themselves on the right side of the convention centre. "Exhibition duel, Siegfried von Schroeder* vs... J. Crawford, Maximilian _Pegasus**_?"

"Siggy-boy, what would you do now?" the creepily high-pitched voice of the creator of Duel Monsters and President of Industrial Illusions rang out.

"It's Pegasus, no mistake," Ryou sighed. "Only he can insult people like that. And still get names wrong." He winced as the Thief King cackled happily, no doubt recalling all the good times involving Pegasus. Likely involving the plucking out of one Sennen Eye from the man's eye-socket.

( **Scene Change!** )

Pegasus: LP 1600, Toon Gemini Elf (1900/900), Toon Summoned Skull (2500/1200). Spell Card: Toon World, 1 face-down cards. 5 monsters removed from play.

Schroeder: LP 2000, Valkyrie Zwei (1600/1600), Valkyrie Dritte (1200/1600). Magic Card: Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen, Fortune Chariot (equipped to Zwei), 2 face-down cards.

"Tribute Valkyries Zwei and Dritte to summon Valkyrie Brunhilde (1800/2000)!" the pink-haired opponent shouted. Somewhere, 'Ride of the Valkyries' began to play as the blue-haired female warrior on horseback descended on the field as her sisters shattered. "Equip Brunhilde with Pegasus Wings! Activate Spell Card, Rainbow Bridge Bifrost!"

Valkyrie Brunhilde began to glow with a yellow light as her attack increased. Her white horse grew white-feathered wings as a rainbow made its presence known on the field. (1800/2000 → 3300/2000)

"The effect of Pegasus Wings allows me to attack my opponent directly if I cut Brunhilde's attack points in half!" Siegfried continued loudly. "Valkyrie Brunhilde, attack Pegasus directly!"

"Oh..." the creator laughed as the Valkyrie charged. "Reverse card open! Negate Attack!"

As the obligatory card revealed itself, the Valkyrie halted in her tracks and moved back to the field. (3300/2000 → 1800/2000)

"Too bad," Pegasus snickered at Siegfried's expression. "My turn. Toon Summoned Skull, finish off this cretin who dares to insult my Toons!"

"That's Pegasus," both Duellists standing in the sidelines agreed.

"Still, the ever-reclusive creator himself here when Yuugi is missing..." Marik added. "It feels like Battle City...minus the God Cards."

" _Something big is about to happen..._ " was what both of them thought.

 _I agree,_ both _yamis_ stated. _Dark powers here at seven o' clock..._

* * *

* _**Crazy no. 2...**_

 ******   
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**I know, he died in the manga. But frankly, it's so much more entertaining with the crazies around...aka Crazy no. 1.**   
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Further away, two men were chatting as they walked through the Convention Centre. The oddest things was that of all the people commonly seen at a Duel Monsters convention, executives were by and far the least seen. Thus, the two men's neatly pressed suits and ties and too-shiny shoes drew suspicious looks and downright glares in some more rebellious Duel Monsters fans as they passed.

"How is the boy?" one nondescript man asked.

"Very well," the other replied with faux cheer. "We would be able to carry out the ceremony on All-Hallows Eve. Although, are you sure that he is the right one? No offence, but the boy doesn't look like the vessel of the Pharaoh."

"Yes, he is innocent. Too innocent, I say," the first speaker stated. "He is the one. Keep the police off our backs until All-Hallows. After that, it no longer matters."

"But...this is the reigning champion! If we keep him away from the competition, Seto Kaiba will get suspicious! And you've already said that he's like you, master!"

"Not like me," the first one corrected, displeased. "That _mer setau_ is never like me. After the deaths of Grevane and Capricorpus, there is no other save my apprentice who is like me."

"If...you say...master..."

"Excellent," the voice was mollified now. "Continue with my instructions and when the nameless king of nightmares descends and I take his power, you will gain your wish."

"As you wish..." the second voice was less nervous.

"Good _._ "

* * *

"Ryou!" Mai squealed as she scooped the white-haired boy in a tight hug. "How nice to see you! Have you changed from _that_ _deck_ yet?"

She was of course, referring to the deck of horrors that Ryou still used from Battle City, hardly bearing to throw the cards away. The cards -and their spirits- were always around, helping to fill an empty apartment to which he returned to every night, no matter how weak...

"N-no..." Ryou stuttered at the close proximity. Somewhere, a possessive thief growled and plotted interestingly gruesome ways that really sounded a lot like the evil Marik's deck of torture devices...

"Oh, Ryou, did you get the birthday present?" Diana stated in some surprise. "I heard from Jounochi that you never received it."

"Well," Mai stated. "We did send it with Mr Bakura..."

The atmosphere began dropping to something frigid at the mention of the late and somewhat lamented Bakura Senior. Mai's expression read: _Oops._

"Hey, Mai," Marik greeted, desperately changing the subject. Mai nodded in reply, no doubt unsure if this was Marik or the evil alter-ego. "Since when did you team up with Diana? Last I heard you were working with Vivian Wong."

"She went after some hotshot Korean Duellist, leaving me to pick up the slack," Mai sighed. "Then I met Di here, we hit it off, kicked ass -including that two-faced minx and her boy-toy -, and so we're here as part of the Queens' War act. What about you? Teaming up with Ryou here? Next thing you know the magazines will say what a cute couple you make."

"Weird," Marik scoffed. "As if they could..."

He twitched. Visibly. And winced.

"Speaking of weird," Diana remarked dryly, looking at the Egyptian's winces with some interest. "Did you know that there's a Field Spell card active over Chicago?"

" _Sanctuary in the Sky_ , right?" Marik answered, still twitching. Ryou, being attuned to the mind frequency known only to _yamis_ and their _hikaris_ winced as well as the evil known as Malik laughed in a way that would give the Joker nightmares. "Yeah, I know. Yuugi's missing, by the way."

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Mai muttered. "And I thought the weird stuff was supposed to happen only during the World Championships when the three of you come together..."

"But it was so sweet..." Diana fake-sniffed. "I've always wanted _Crusader of Endymion_ to go down on bended knee and propose in front of an audience..."

"Yeah, and directly after that the _Master Magician of Endymion_ bopped him on the head and blasted the opponents' _Tyrant Dragon_ with it's effect," Marik quipped, the wincing lessening. "And don't get me started on the _Vanity's Fiend_ and _Vanity's Ruler_..."

"The most embarrassing time was when my Amazonesses abandoned me and swarmed Yuugi," Mai shared her tale. "My God, hardened battle-warriors acting like fan-girls. It was a complete riot."

"It couldn't be worse than that time when you were up against a Harpie deck," Ryou offered.

"True," Mai nodded. "They were having a bitch-fight until I summoned _Harpie Queen_ and she got the rest into order."

"Ho boy," Diana spoke up, looking straight ahead. "Trouble up at twelve o' clock."

Mai looked up, her expression immediately darkening. "Oh. Him."

"Who...oh," Marik's expression twisted into one of distaste.

"Who?" Ryou asked, untangling himself from Mai's tightening grip.

"You're British and you've never heard of him?" Diana asked in some surprise. "Carson Anderson. High-class in British society and all that? With stalker tendencies towards Yuugi?" Having had her own card spirit propose in front of an audience, Diana was on close enough terms to address them by their first names.

Shared trouble with Duel Monsters really did breed familiarity.

"The guy paid someone to try and dig up Sugoroku Mutou's coffin to see if there were any rare cards the old man was buried with."Mai explained. "I heard from Airo that Djer took an extremely perverse pleasure in pulling out the Thousand Knives on the gravedigger he hired. Sadly he got off on a technicality."

"Airo...oh, Harpie Lady One," Ryou nodded solemnly. "I see..."

"And it looks like Kaiba's being stalked this time..." Marik muttered. Amidst several cackles, he still managed to scrunch together a straight face. "Got any popcorn?"

"Sadly no," Mai replied. "It'll be a great show to watch Kaiba chew him out, though."

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**Please read and review! (And add it to Tv Tropes...). I want to make the Crowning Moment of Awesome this time!**   
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	8. Magical Citadel of Endymion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**I really wanted to do this by official rules, but then it would take too long, and the focus is on magic, not on Duelling, so I used the animé rules here, i.e. 4000 LP and Tributes. Enjoy! Review!** _

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**I really wanted to do this by official rules, but then it would take too long, and the focus is on magic, not on Duelling, so I used the animé rules here, i.e. 4000 LP and Tributes. Enjoy! Review!**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Magical Citadel of Endymion**

"Oh crap!" Joey suddenly yelled, running his hands through his scalp. "I'm late! Sorry, Sergeant, please, try to find Yuugi fast, or Kaiba'll kill me!" He yelled, attempting to run out.

"We can offer you a ride, Mr Wheeler," Rashid offered. "Am I right, Mr Dresden?" he continued, throwing a significant look at me.

Right. Keep our source on hand just in case. "Sure," I shrugged. "But I'll call a cab."

"Why?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"The Beetle broke down," I explained.

"You need a new car," Joey stated matter-of-fact.

I ignored Murphy's choked laughter. "Yeah, people tell me that all the time."

* * *

"Mai!" A saccharine sweet voice sounded from behind them.

The two women present sighed, turning away from a possible spectacle to be greeted by the Hollywood-actress-turned-Duellist Vivian Wong. With her fan out, poised and fanning, twin buns neat and yellow short _qipao-_ style dress not a wrinkle out of place, Vivian still looked in her early twenties instead of her actual age. "Why would _you_ turn up here, of all places? The senior citizen's centre is down the road, Hon."

" _I_ am a top Duellist," Mai coolly replied. "Which is more than the wannabe _you'll_ ever be."

Vivian sniffed in disdain. "Who won the Asian Duellist Queen Tournament, Mai? Certainly not you!"

"If I remember, this was the one who got her ass kicked by a thirteen-year-old," Diana replied coldly. "You should not throw stones if you do not want to get hit."

"It is a fact, my dear Diana, that I have the grace to avoid whatever anyone throws at me," Vivian shot back. "So, how was the honeymoon?"

"Wonderful," Diana replied blandly with a straight face. "The Crusader of Endymion gave me a tour of the Magical Citadel. You won the last tournament because neither of us were present, Vivian. Don't forget that."

"I resent the implication! I challenge you to a Duel!" Vivian declared.

"Fine, I accept," Diana replied. "We can take this as something to consider for the Championships too. Look, the arena's already empty for use." She indicated.

"Duel!" Both shouted upon reaching the empty platform.

Vivian: LP 4000, Diana LP 4000.

"Well, I start first," Diana said. "I summon _Magical Conductor_ (1700/1400) in attack mode."

The green-robed Spellcaster appeared in a blaze of light, hands on either side.

"I now play _Magical Citadel of Endymion_!" Diana continued.

Immediately, the floor plan changed to that of a beautiful citadel with six circular buildings with domed roofs, arranged in concentric circles around a main building. "My _Conductor_ gains two Spell Counters due to its effect. I next play the card _Double Summon_ , which allows me to Normal Summon my _Crusader of Endymion_ (1900/1200)!"

The blue-robed Spellcaster, decked out in ornate jewellery dotted with orange Spell Counters, bowed to Diana before resuming attack stance. A light lit up on one of the Citadel's towers, as well as two more on _Magical Conductor_ 's neck.

"The lights are Spell Counters. Due to the effect of my Citadel, it gains a Spell Counter for every Spell Card activated, and my Conductor gains two Counters for each Spell Card activated." Diana spoke. "I set two cards and end my turn."

"Is that all?" Vivian mocked, drawing her card. "I summon _Kung Fu Nya-Nya_ (1700/1000)in attack mode! _Kung Fu Nya-Nya,_ attack _Magical Conductor_!"

"Trap Card activate, _Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!_ "the metal scarecrow that appeared stopped the kung-fu girl's attack cold before returning to its set place on the field. "Too bad."

"Hmph." Vivian sniffed before setting a card down and ending.

Diana grinned, drawing a card. "Draw. Gemini Summon, _Crusader of Endymion_! I add one Spell Counter to the Magical Citadel for my Crusader's attack to increase by six hundred." The Crusader glowed as his attack increased. (1900/1200) → (2500/1200) Another light lit up on the Citadel's towers.

"Also, I play _Mystical Space Typhoon._ " Diana continued, slapping the lone card down. "I hope that face-down wasn't important..."

Vivian gritted her teeth as she removed the card, the holograms showing the impressive whirlwind which destroyed the set card. Three more lights appeared; one on another Citadel building, two on the Conductor's neck.

"My _Crusader_ , attack her kung-fu princess! _Magical Conductor_ , show this pampered princess what real grace is!" Diana ordered, playing up the drama for the crowd's benefit. "Attack the player directly!"

" _Hai!"_ the Crusader replied, to everyone's shock, before leaping forward and blasting _Kung Fu Nya-Nya_ into shards. Magical Conductor aimed a ball of energy and fired, impacting on Vivian's platform.

Vivian: LP 4000 → LP 3200 → LP 1500

Diana: LP 4000

A crowd was already beginning to gather as the energy ball impacted. "However, the increase in attack points end at the end of my turn." Diana continued. "Turn end." (2500/1200) → (1900/1200)

Vivian drew. "I set one monster, and set two face-downs. Turn End."

"Draw." Diana squinted. "I end my turn."

"I see. Scared now?" Vivian mocked, drawing another card. "Activate Trap Card, _Jar of Greed_. Draw once more. End of turn."

"Good hand?" Diana questioned upon drawing. "It would end quite soon. Turn end."

"Not likely," Vivian replied, drawing again. "I tribute face-down Master Kyonshee to summon Millennium Shield (0/3000) in Defence mode! I end my turn!"

"Draw," Diana's eyes narrowed, but otherwise her face remained expressionless. She examined her cards again. "Good, all the conditions are here."

"Huh?" Vivian asked.

"I summon _Breaker, the Magical Warrior_ (1600/1000)!" The red-clad sword-wielding Spellcaster descended upon the field in a blaze of light. "Because I normal Summoned him, Breaker gains a Spell Counter and three hundred attack points. (1600/1000 → 1900/1000) I activate his other effect; I remove one Spell Counter to destroy your face-down card!"

One of the citadel's lights was extinguished as Breaker cut the card. "Normally, Breaker would have to give up his Spell Counter, but the Magical Citadel acts as a substitute cost for this." Diana elaborated, pulling a card from her hand. "I activate _Rush Recklessly_ on _Crusader of Endymion_! (1900/1200 → 2600/1200)."

"Let us not forget to add one Spell Counter for an extra six hundred points," Diana smirked. (2600/1200 → 3200/1200) "My Crusader, break the _Millennium Shield_!"

The great shield never stood a chance as his fist crashed through it. "Breaker, Conductor," Diana's smirk looked eerie in the bright light. "Attack."

There was a loud boom as the red-clad Magical Warrior and the Spellcaster attacked.

Vivian: LP 0

Diana: LP 4000

Ryou stifled a yawn, ignoring the cries of _Yeah!_ _Vicious!_ that came from in his mind as he watched the duel's conclusion. Marik grinned; he and the actress-turned-Duellist have never gotten along well. Both Duellists were ignoring the effects of jet lag for as long as possible, watching Kaiba and Pegasus pull a double-team against Anderson.

"What will you bet?" Marik muttered.

"Pegasus wouldn't try anything against Yuugi," Ryou answered. "Although kidnapping is a viable option, Yuugi would have given back the shares to Industrial Illusions if not for Pegasus's own insistence to protect Yuugi's interests. Kaiba wouldn't do anything since he's gaining an extra ten percent if the deal Yuugi made with Pegasus goes through, as would me and you. It has to be an outside party, like Anderson, who would benefit from kidnapping Yuugi if we look from a financial perspective."

Marik shrugged. "And if from the magic perspective?"

"I don't know," Ryou confessed.

* * *

Seto Kaiba twitched, very visibly. His personal security and his brother swallowed and tried to make themselves unobtrusive, praying that the older Kaiba would restrain himself from bellowing at the obviously sub-par technician who had caused the holograms to flicker during the Pegasus vs. Schroeder duel. It was already a miracle that John Marcone was willing to partner them in the setting up of a KaibaLand theme park in Michigan after the Black Magician fiasco, they did not need the local Don to catch wind of the CEO's stunted emotional growth.

Of course, the disappearance of the World Champion this close to the finals didn't help, and neither did their third prospective choice of partner right here.

Not that it had been any fault of Carson Anderson. The blonde five-feet-nine man was born with the odd air that made people detest him on sight. However, it really didn't help his case to voice his opinion of KaibaCorp's Solid Vision hologram technology.

"It's the game-play that matters, not the special effects," he sniffed disdainfully as his attention wavered between the Hunter vs Wong duel and Kaiba.

Mokuba was already backtracking as he watched the metaphorical steam build.

"Vice Pres," Diana stated with some surprise as he moved towards her direction. "Is something wrong?"

"He just insulted KaibaCorp's Solid VisionTM by calling them special effects," Mokuba replied, moving behind her.

Diana raised an eyebrow, but otherwise showed no other expression. "Then you would be the most useful shield, no?" she asked. "Why are you hiding behind me?"

Mokuba froze. "Well, er...I want to watch the fireworks a safe distance away?"

Distantly, the two connected to the Heart of the Cards could hear the roar of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, just about ready to come at the elder Kaiba's command and blast the fool. Seto Kaiba himself grunted non-committally although only the fool could not hear his chances of a joint venture plummet.

By some twist of fate, Anderson's words had reached the ears of Pegasus. As the platforms moved back from the conclusion of the Hunter vs Wong duel, the silver-haired billionaire marched over to the pair, his assistant Croquet by his side.

"Oh," Diana perked up. "Mr Pegasus himself is getting involved."

"Friend or foe, I wonder," Mokuba darkly added.

"Why, there is more to a Duel than special effects," Pegasus was exclaiming. Very loudly. "Not that you would understand the beauty of the game like Kaiba-boy...right, Kaiba-boy?"

Only those in the know would recognise the subtle jab at the Kaiba brothers' tenure as part of Pegasus's 'card collection', Kaiba knew. Immediately after Duellist Kingdom and the loss of the Eye, Yuugi as CEO of Industrial Illusions made Pegasus start a therapy programme. Two years later, a (somewhat) much improved Pegasus was buying back the shares from the King of Games and annoying Kaiba. Even without the Eye, Pegasus's mastery at reading body language coupled with previous contact with said Item allowed him insight into most minds -with certain exceptions- and thus made him a formidable opponent in any field because-

"After all, someone who lost the entire annual budget in a Vegas run would hardly understand the cards, would they?" Pegasus remarked, his voice carrying through the entire convention centre. "Or was roulette involved somewhere? To a casino, it's hardly everyday that a fool places five million on a single lot; of course the house would keep it. Viva Las Vegas? Not when you're eyeballs-up in debt."

-of his tendency to spill secrets previously unknown like confetti.

A flicker of dark fur was appearing around his feet, Kaiba noted. _Dark Rabbit...if the Funny Bunny rip-off is showing itself, Pegasus must be really irritated._

Now glad to not be at the receiving end of Pegasus's tendency to air dirty linen far and wide due to the judicious threats laid down by four Item holders and reinforced by three very pissed-off dragons, Seto Kaiba's mouth had thinned to a line as Anderson began backing away, though a corner kept twitching. Mokuba, lacking the elder's self control, began giggling. "I don't like him," the young Deputy CEO coughed between giggles, 'but I gotta admit, he has style."

And then all hell broke loose.

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**Please review!  
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	9. Guardian Angel Joan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Okay, this is a mishmash of views written mainly because I wanted to one of the Carpenter kids praying 'God, please help' and out comes...Guardian Angel Joan. Breathe in the irony. Enjoy.** _

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**Okay, this is a mishmash of views written mainly because I wanted to one of the Carpenter kids praying 'God, please help' and out comes...Guardian Angel Joan. Breathe in the irony. Enjoy.**   
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**Review more, please.**   
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**I had this amusing review from Azraelean:**   
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**In the Dresden files people understand if all he'll isn't breaking loose, it's time to run while you can. All hell breaks loose bianually.**

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**Then I was thinking: Ah hahahaha... huh? Is this meant as a compliment or a criticism? I have no clue, really. Although I really agree on what it says about Harry sometimes...**   
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* * *

**Chapter 9: Guardian Angel Joan**

It was in the midst of the shadow monsters that the shadows sensed traces of the little master once more.

They cried as one: On that one. The unworthy one, the one tainted with the magic of darkness.

The one with our master's magic on him, Another hissed.

 _Get him,_ the lead shadows signalled. _He should know where is the little masters. The Thief King and the Tomb Keepers are there. They will help us._

 _Gather help from the Citadel_ , another shadow advised the foot-soldiers. _Injure no innocent, or Master will not be pleased._

Take the fool, the shadows chorused.

Let us rip him... more continued.

 _Let us do so,_ a velvety baritone echoed, the shadows rippling and shivering at his very words.

* * *

In the busy convention centre, Diana Hunter turned her attention to her deck as the Heart started to call, frowning slightly as she saw Mai do the same. "Vice Pres," she started. "Do you have your deck?"

"Yeah," Mokuba replied, puzzled, reaching at his side. "Why...? Oh."

"Endymion reports an assault team coming here," Diana replied flatly. "Better tell Pres."

"Seto is gonna be pissed," Mokuba moaned.

"On second thought, forget it," Diana reiterated. "Endymion just passed word to Mountain, which just sent word to Kisara."

"Aw crap," Mokuba moaned. "Forget pissed, Seto's gonna be _mad_. Why, of all placed the kidnapper could go, here?"

* * *

We arrived at the convention centre to see a green-clad spell-slinger fling a ball of green light at the opposing lady. Needless to say, chivalric instincts kicked in and I would have stepped up if not for Joey.

"It's a hologram," Joey told me. "It's harmless..."

The lady, who was probably dressed as Chun Li, gave a cry of panic. A few numbers flashing on a wall on the side decreased.

"For a given value of harmless," he reiterated. "Anyway, it's KaibaCorp's Solid Vision holograms. Technology."

I was stunned. Technology had _really_ advanced that much already? I felt old. Really old. "You have this...state of the art holographic technology..." I stated, "and you use it to play games."

Joey shrugged.

"That's..." Murphy was honestly stunned. "Really...stupid. All this just for a game?"

"It's more than that," Joey started defensively as the green-clad spell-slinger teamed up with a red-clad knight against her and the numbers on the wall reached zero, while the other se remained relatively intact.

I was about to start on my pre-prepared lecture on How Life Is Not A Game when two familiar voices called out: "Harry?"

I turned around to see a young boy dressed in some sort of brown warrior outfit, _a la_ Frodo Baggins*, completely with short fake sword and grinning at me, while a blonde woman was dressed in an extremely skimpy off-shoulders blue leotard and a short pink skirt with a blue conical hat, blue knee-high boots, blue fingerless gloves, a handbag hanging off an elbow and a short blue staff-wand to complete the get-up**. My apprentice smiled at me, blue eyes twinkling under the brim of the hat. "Harry!" Molly Carpenter squealed.

"Hi, Uncle Harry," Matthew greeted.

"Padawan," I fervently tried to keep my eyes on her face. "Did your mother approve that get-up?"

"I have to agree," Murphy whispered beside me.

The Gatekeeper did something I would never forget.

He whistled.

We looked at him.

"I am old, Wizard Dresden," the Gatekeeper stoically replied. "Not dead."

"I brought this Jawa," here Molly shot a look at Matthew Carpenter, "here because Mom was busy and Dad...well, he doesn't really like these sort of things, and the get-up just screamed to be tried on-."

" _This_ costume?" I asked. "Molly, you're... _ugh._ I _so_ did not need you to bare that much skin."

"You like it?" she brightly replied, shuffling through her handbag. "It's Dark Magician Girl. Student of Dark Magician. There's the teacher's costume too, here..."

I stared, open mouthed, at the picture of a tall man dressed in robes the colour of night with the same conical-shaped hood and a green staff with a knob on the end*** (and decided not to comment on the innuendo that could be gotten from _that_ ) that she pulled out with a flourish. "Molly," I stated somewhat calmly (I hope). "There is no way in he- _heck_ " I amended for the presence of Matthew, "any wizard would wear that."

Molly pouted. "What's wrong with it?"

"Apart from the glaring innuendo?" I shot back. "It's...does it even come in my height?"

"Well..." the Carpenter siblings gave the matter some thought.

"The full scale model _did_ put the original Dark Magician as six foot nine..." Matthew slowly started.

The full-blown grins on their faces alerted me as to their evil intentions. "Absolutely not." I firmly declared. "Not in this lifetime will you get me to wear that-"

And that was when the chaos started.

* * *

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***Celtic Guardian**   
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****Dark Magician Girl (Duh)**   
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*****Dark Magician (Double Duh)**   
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* * *

" _Allure Queens_ ," Mokuba groaned, burying his head in his hands as the Spellcasters in question conjured fireballs as they glided forward. "Why, of all things, those?"

"Human shields?" Diana suggested as one of the female Spellcasters beckoned a nearby drooling Duel Monsters fan over. "I had no idea that they did realise the concept."

"Erm, Di, we're in the midst of likely-bulletproof monsters and we can't exactly summon here," Mokuba pointed out. "I don't think a debate as to whether Duel Monsters know about hostages really adds to the situation."

"They're not harming us," the female Duellist sensibly pointed out as the three female Spellcasters advanced towards Seto Kaiba's general direction, Duel Monsters fans either stunned or, in the case of the stupider ones, whistling at the sight. "In fact..." she frowned, drawing a card from the deck holster. "Endymion is in chaos. Someone is trying something. Pres is going to have a field day."

"Great," Mokuba groaned. "Again."

"It could be worse," she defended. "They could have attacked us, and no matter what, Kaiba doesn't exactly pay me for guarding you."

"Well, he did pay you to oversee KaibaCorp's security," Mokuba pointed out. " _Siege Mistress._ "

She grimaced. "Don't remind me. That was a one-time thing; I could just leave you here."

"You wouldn't leave a kid here, would you?" Mokuba tried his best to look innocent.

She scoffed. "You're fifteen. And a vice-president. And I taught you. You're old enough."

And then the Spellcaster threw the fireball, and all hell broke loose.

"Shit!" Mokuba swore as a fireball landed not far from his shoe.

"Language!" Diana barked, moving to stand protectively in front. "Where did you learn that?"

"Why?"

"Or I'll tell Pres."

"Not now!" Mokuba screamed as another stray fireball was lobbed in his general direction, burning a hole into cheap carpeting. "Seto! These are real!"

"I can tell." the older Kaiba growled. You had to give the man credit for being so calm in the face of strange powers. Beside him, a ring with shields attached lazily rotated in mid-air, shielding him from the fire projectiles. Carson Anderson was grabbed between Kaiba's personal security looking very terrified while the CEO looked positively murderous.

"Hunter, I want you to contact Endymion," he yelled as several convention attendees screamed in panic and … panicked. "Start getting the bloody _musketeers_ running if necessary, find out who's responsible for this!"

Diana's eyes widened. "I'm an apprentice, I can't-"

"Hunter, _I_ can't see you fighting them," Kaiba growled as he drew a five-card hand from his deck holster. "Much as I'd like to deny all this, we have to stop them from tearing this idiot apart before answers can be gotten. The mutt and Kujaku is needed to deal with the equipped Curse of Dragon outside, the other two are out of shouting range and likely fighting anyway, so get to it."

"There's a Curs- Yes sir," she efficiently replied, pulling her deck out. "Mo- Vice Pres-"

"Nah, we're good," Mokuba laughed, pulling a few cards out of his pocket.

She shrugged, pulling out the _Magical Citadel of Endymion_ card. "Right, answers...

* * *

Ryou Bakura's brow furrowed as he extracted a glowing card from his pocket. He moved it to his left. The glow dimmed. Right. The glow brightened.

"A fledgling Duellist here?" Marik noted.

"Not the cause of this," Ryou replied, shoving the card back. "This is... something else."

 _Endymion's Spellcasters,_ the other Bakura stated from his perch in Ryou's mind. _Can't be anything else for that kind of perfect assault formation._ A heartbeat later: _Damn. I gotta drill the fiends in those._

"I had no idea that the Magical Citadel trained professional assault teams of Spellcasters," Marik dryly said as he pulled a five-card hand.

"No," Ryou shook his head. "I heard Yuugi talk about it once; the Master Magician set up a... place of learning in the Citadel. It's like... a university for Spellcasters, was his exact description."

"The Shadow Realm has a university..." Marik shook his head as he narrowly sidestepped a stray fireball. "Well, there's a city*, a clock tower**, and a lab***, why not... Ryou, where are you going?"

"Damage control," Ryou replied, ignoring a certain tomb robber's snarls as he ran towards the entrance and thus the direction the glowing card indicated. "If we have a potential Duellist, I want to be there when the monster breaks loose."

* * *

"Get back!" I yelled as a girl with white hair ran towards us and thus the monsters. I held my staff ready, but the team of dressed-up wizards ignored me in favour of moving about. Outside I could heard the roar of something unidentifiable but definitely mean.

" _What?_ " the 'girl' yelled in what was definitely not a feminine voice in outrage, stopping beside me, glaring. Oops, it's a guy. Ah well.

"Move!" I yelled back, as Molly pulled Matthew back, Murphy doing the same with the Gatekeeper and the kid soon after. "Right now-"

A freaking _police car_ with eyes^ crashed through the entrance, skidding as it listed forwards, its steel body heading straight for us as its momentum caused it to fly at us. We couldn't move, couldn't retreat, no time to get them out of the way...I held up my shield bracelet and _focused._ If we weren't going to escape this, we'd damn well weather it.

Before the shield-dome went up, the boy pulled a glowing card out of his pocket and handed it to Matthew, where the glow immediately dimmed. "You know the rules?" he asked the stunned kid.

Before the car-thing with eyes impacted, I saw Murphy's eyes bug out as she looked at the whatever-used-to-describe-it. "Wha- _Harry_!"

From behind me, light as bright and white-hot as a magnesium flare burst into being. A literal angel, complete with wings and halo but oddly no sword, stretched a hand out, lights gathering in its hands to burst out towards the car-thing currently careening _on_ my shield, the force driving my feet into the ground as I fought to keep it there. This thing, accident or not, was _not_ going to hurt the Carpenter kids. The car-thing whatever shattered under the lights and I felt a sudden incursion of strength flow in with tiredness as grey spots began dancing in my vision. In my peripheral vision, I could see the angel smile before the car-thing remains disappeared in a burst of violet mist and the rainbow remains of whatever spell Rashid threw at it at the last minute.

Before I fell unconscious into the arms of an angel, I could hear Matthew's whisper of "Wow..."

I agreed. _Wow_ , before all faded to black.

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***Skyscraper or Dark City, can't decide, both look similar anyway.**   
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****Clock Tower Prison**   
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*****Iron Core Specimen Lab**   
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**^Patroid**   
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**LOL I had fun with this!The angel, FYI, was Guardian Angel Joan!**   
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**Hope you like it! Please read and review!**   
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	10. Yami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **_Okay, I am now targeting to put this fic on the TvTropes CMOA page!_ **

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_Okay, I am now targeting to put this fic on the TvTropes CMOA page!_   
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* * *

**Chapter 10: Yami**

"You are the former vessel of the Thief King and last holder of the Ring of a Thousand Years." the old Arabic man murmured.

Ryou inwardly gulped. The last to address him as such had been a suicidal nutcase, having failed to find the Sennen Puzzle said to grant the wielder the knowledge and power of darkness, decided to turn towards the charm said to have led Alexander the Great to victory multiple times. Having been forced into police actions several times, Ryou was, needless to say, very wary.

"Fear not," the old man raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I am merely curious. I am an ally of the Pharaoh by blood."

"Pharaoh? Oh, right," Ryou muttered, picking himself up from where he had landed upon stopping the Patroid. "Ow..."

 _I don't trust him_.

 _You never trust anyone,_ Ryou inwardly thought as he dusted himself off. "And you are...?"

"I am Rashid," the old man bowed. "In the circles I move in, my title is the Gatekeeper, inherited from the former holders through the millennia to keep watch over the gates of the Outside."

"I...see," Ryou replied politely. "May I ask-"

Marik then came into view. "Damn, Ryou, don't run into the path of a bloody car... oh," he froze at the sight of Rashid.

"Tomb Keeper, Marik Ishtar," Rashid murmured. "How … surprising to meet you here."

"Elder Rashid," Marik stiffly replied. "Here on the orders of the Council again?"

"We take a common side this time, Keeper Ishtar," Rashid replied, smiling slightly in a bittersweet way. "Duties passed by blood through millennia."

"Mm," Marik _hmph_ ed neutrally. "And tall, dark and unconscious is …?" he indicated the wizard sprawled out unconscious in the arms of the floating Guardian Angel... he did a double-take. When did that-?

"The local wizard cum Warden commander," Rashid replied with a straight face. "Harry Dresden."

"You're trusting a straight wizard with this?" Marik's voice registered incredulity, deciding to ignore the monster in favour of the news. "They _excommunicated_ us! No other wizard of that bunch would come for us, except you!"

"I assure you that Warden Dresden takes a far more lax stand with the laws laid down by the Council." the Gatekeeper frowned. "He has after all, been judged a potential warlock before in his teens, and after facing the Doom for ten years to have it lifted, took the burden again to save his current apprentice from his potential fate. He himself have danced with dark powers and would probably take a flexible view of this."

"If you say so," Marik was unconvinced to say the least. "Dresden, you say?" he added contemplatively. "Something to do with South America?"

"Yes," Rashid replied. "He started it."

"Ballsy," Marik muttered. "I think he'll be a joy to keep around. We should move him, right?"

"Er...Gatekeeper," Murphy said, having stood by the side since the start. "If you don't mind, how do we cover this-"

" _Thank you for coming to this demonstration of Kaiba Corporation's Solid VisionTM hologram system!_ " the voice of Seto Kaiba boomed over the (miraculously) intact intercom. " _We hope you enjoyed it! Have a nice day._ "

"Let us now seek aid for him," Rashid replied, lips twitching. "The young one over there looks like he needs it too."

"Guardian Angel Joan," Ryou whispered to a stunned Matthew Carpenter as he got up. "She's yours now. Keep her well."

* * *

"Mr Kaiba, if you don't let me go this instant I'll sue for assault and kidnapping, I swear-"

"Get in," Seto Kaiba grunted, a wide-eyed Mokuba shoving a gibbering Anderson secured with plastic ties into the rented limousine. Beside the KaibaCorp Vice-CEO was a tired and equally wide-eyed Diana.

"Hunter," he coolly greeted. "Got anything?"

The Duellist grimly nodded. "I had news from Mai. She and Joey managed to banish the Curse of Dragon, but were caught off guard by a swarm of Bladeflies. They are trying to destroy every one throughout the city as we speak. It will take time, though. Good excuse; Joey and Mai brought their DuelDisksTM along as well."

"Good," Kaiba nodded to his former PA. "Anything from Endymion?"

Having gone through the Memory World, Seto Kaiba had been unable to drown himself in a backward river in Egypt any longer, especially with Yuugi Mutou's out-of-control monsters and his own temperamental dragons. He had thus thrown his not-inconsiderable power, both financial and metaphysical, into making the best of the situation, including coordinating the various Shadow Realm establishments under the banner of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Corporation and his own title as a reincarnation of the High Priest Set. In some twist of fate, his former PA had turned out to hold an aptitude for the game and for Shadow Magic, and now acted as liaison with the Magical Citadel and, by extension, the whole of Yami, where the Spellcasters and Fiends ruled.

Diana solemnly nodded. "Yes. Today a team of Allure Queens left the Citadel. Upon questioning upon return, they replied that they were commanded by Djer, or the Black Magician. The Black Magician himself claimed to be working for the Pharaoh and that as such the Allure Queens had to answer to a higher power than the Citadel or its Master Magician."

Kaiba scoffed. "I know Yuugi's not in contact with the blasted magician, or this mess wouldn't have happened. He's lying."

"No," Diana shook her head. "He said the _Pharaoh._ Not the Pharaoh's _light_. The Master Magician himself has reported this discrepancy, and that Djer had said _master_ , not _little master_ , as Djer usually refers to Yuugi. After that, Endymion broke contact at the same time the Allure Queens began withdrawing."

"There's only one that the blasted magician refers as master," Kaiba growled. "Turns out that he's not as dead as we thought."

"It gets worse," Diana replied. "Djer's last words before leaving was that 'the shadows' master will return for the light soon'."

"Cryptic magicians," Kaiba growled. "Hate the lot of them. I'll send word to Mountain, get Blue-Eyes onto his ass. Hunter, I want you to take Mokuba to wherever Bakura and Ishtar is now. With Mutou missing, the mutt chasing bugs across the city with his girlfriend, and a potential kidnapper, we need to secure Mokuba, and right now they're the people who'll keep him safe. I will...interrogate Anderson."

"Good luck," Diana sincerely replied. "Enjoy the torture."

* * *

"The Puzzle," the man hidden under the voluminous robe whispered, a voice that caused the young man to shiver slightly. "Is gone. Buried. But there are other ways to gain the power and knowledge of darkness, Yuugi Mutou. However, you already know it, don't you?"

"I understand not what you speak of," the young man replied. "The Items are gone, as are their previous wielders. Powers which you seek through the Items are no more."

"You underestimate it, judge of the shadows," the man replied. "The Shadows themselves have thwarted almost all attempts against you. The only reason we managed it was because of the solar eclipse and luck. Or perhaps, you have no power as inheritor, but knowledge...?"

"What do you mean?" the young man asked.

"The _name_ ," the man coldly said. "The True Name of the Nameless Pharaoh that was lost to time, such that even the Archive may not seek it through the troves of knowledge that is her mind. The name of the Pharaoh-god who once commanded the Darkness as his army. As the vessel you have heard it, as the inheritor you may use it. As its sole possessor, the Shadows are yours to command."

"I am not the sole judge," the young man tiredly replied, leaning against the bars of his prison. Three concentric rings carved into the floor and reinforced with metal and runes of imprisonment meandered around him, keeping him from the Shadows and keeping him prisoner. "And the Shadows are not mine alone to command. They were never mine to begin with. They are their own selves, neither light nor darkness. They hear their master when I ask them, not me."

"When All-Hallows' Eve approaches, we will hold a ritual," the man hissed. "I will get that name one way or another, if you wish to keep your life."

It was then that the young man smiled. It was the smirk of the demented, the insane, one that almost terrified the wizard to its resemblance to the face on the tablet. "You assume that I would wish to live...Mr Cowl."

* * *

" _Castle of Dark Illusions_ just formed itself over Cabrini Green," Jounochi tiredly informed an anxious Ryou, half-lifting a tired Mai. "And I swear, I saw a swarm of pixies fly through Wacker."

"He's serious," Ryou worriedly replied, eyes unfocused. "The other Bakura is in my head. The other Marik is here as well, but..." Ryou shrugged, not seeing Mai's expression. "They say that the Pharaoh is trying to pull off a miracle. Marik's with an old man called Rashid who knew Shaadi, another man who's currently unconscious, two other teenagers and a cop trying to figure out what he could be doing and who else might be involved."

"Ryou!" Mokuba shouted as he and Diana ran up to the group. "Nii Sama is holding Anderson in protective custody. The assault team today was meant for Anderson. I think he has something to do with Yuugi!"

"I agree." Diana grimly nodded.

"Bakura says that whoever the kidnappers are, he thinks that they'll be after either the Puzzle, Yuugi or the Pharaoh's Name." Ryou winced again. "He says that this close to Halloween, it should be the Name."

"Why?" Mai asked, puzzled.

"True Names have power," Ryou explained. " _That_ True Name can be used to control, summon, even bind the Pharaoh. And it helps that the Name contains the powers of the Dark Games, the Doorway to Death, and a lot of gods. That was why he used his Name in the original spell; it was a very powerful key and a power source."

Almost all present shuddered.

"Then why Halloween?" Joey voiced.

"It's the time when the barriers between the spirit world and our world are at the thinnest," Ryou elaborated. "Much easier to summon ghosts."

Joey shuddered. "Please don't be ghosts, please no ghosts..."

"Still scared?" Ryou snarked before he closed his hands over his mouth in horror. "I didn't mean it!" he screamed, muffled by his own hands.

* * *

"It all stems back to the missing Inheritor," the Gatekeeper noted from across the stainless steel autopsy table upon which I was slowly waking up on.

How morbid.

"It is obvious that for the monsters of the Shadows to mobilise to such a degree, the Inheritor must be hidden such that they cannot seek him." the Gatekeeper continued. "To hide from the darkness is difficult, but achievable only in select areas."

"A ley line matrix," another voice, this one young, replied in English. "With three concentric circles to imprison those who may call upon the Shadows from outside. One to stop spiritual forces, one to stop physical forces, and the last to stop those in between. Whoever they are, they really pulled out all the stops."

The Gatekeeper replied quickly. "Yes. Whoever they are, they have hidden him admirably. The next step would be to utilise him for something soon, since to maintain such a shield would merit nothing over the long term. Whatever they are intending will be concluded at All-Hallows Eve, almost without question."

"So, we would need help," the other concluded. "We need Duel Monsters to run around the city and see where they can't go."

"Well, he would most likely be above ground," the Gatekeeper pointed out. "I would have to go to Edinburgh again to get the ley line map from Wizard Listens-to-Wind, but he should be within the city area, theoretically speaking."

"Therefore, our options are limited to, oh, the greater Chicago area! How are we going to find one person amongst eight million?" the other snarled. Wow, that takes balls.

"Not really," I voiced out, aware that they were already aware that I was awake. "But can someone call Pizza 'Spress?"


	11. Fairy King Truesdale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**I had misgivings about this earlier when I was writing this, but then I considered that Pharaohs were technically gods, and that Atemu could command the gods, and well, gods definitely trumps faerie queens, so I thought, what the heck, might as well write it and see.** _

_  
**I had misgivings about this earlier when I was writing this, but then I considered that Pharaohs were technically gods, and that Atemu could command the gods, and well, gods definitely trumps faerie queens, so I thought, what the heck, might as well write it and see.**   
_

_  
**Plus, we had to explain the appearance of Celtic Warrior, Mystical Elf etc, right?**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 11: Fairy King Truesdale**

"You're going to bribe the local faeries to search for Yuugi." the blonde one, whose name was Marik Ishtar, stated once I elaborated my plan.

"Yeah," I replied, laying out on the surprisingly comfortable autopsy table. Most people would have scoffed at the ridiculousness of it all. Most of the supernatural world would not even consider asking the Little Folk, you know.

Marik Ishtar grimaced. "I don't think they will."

"Why?" I asked, trying to stretch my arms out. This is more difficult than it looks; I'm over six feet tall, with a really long reach. There was barely enough space for me to fully stretch out.

"Yuugi's...different." Marik replied, unsure. "I don't know if it's something to do with the Puzzle, but only stupid things and people come for it. I've barely ever seen any supernatural entities come after it. No faerie in their right mind would search for him."

"Worth a shot," I grimaced. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Famous last words...

* * *

"I need you to find a kid," I told the faerie I had whistled up with Butter's doughnut, standing in a nearby alleyway from the Forensic Institute with the secretive Marik. "But then we have someone who says that they don't think you would."

"Who is this child you seek, for such warning to come, 'Za Lord?" Toot-toot asked seriously. It was like his personality did a complete one-eighty.

"Let me give you a hint," Marik sweetly replied, pulling a pen and a paper out of his pocket and scribbling. He drew an eye on it.

"That's it?" Toot-toot asked doubtfully. "The Eye of Horus is allied to many, and not all are dangerous."

"Now to put it in context," Marik added, before drawing an upside-down triangle around the eye.

There was complete and utter silence as the dewdrop faerie looked at it.

"No," the faerie whispered in some horror. "It cannot be... _All of Faerie, hear our words!_ " he screamed.

"Toot," I began. "What are you-"

Toot-toot screamed in a voice echoing of power, his tone both hot and cold, warm and terrifying at the same time, flying around in panic unseen:

" _King of Nightmares, Nameless Pharaoh, Lord of the Shadows, Chaos's Lost Son, Child of Midnight! We speak not of him! We oppose him not, neither do we help him! Let no Fae oppose or ally this Lord of Two Lands, lest more of us are drawn into his snare and service! Let us never speak of him ever, lest we attract his attention! On the blood of the past, present and future, no Fae will approach the lauded lord of the dominion of games, master of that between light and darkness, one with both light and dark in his soul!_ "

"Toot, wha-" I didn't get to finish before the next words stopped me, both warm and cold and reeking of the combined might of Faerie:

" _By the combined order of the Courts of Faerie, let no Fae ever seek with the one who plays games with fate ever again_."

The words that had reeked of the combined powers of Summer and Winter's decrees had barely finished echoing before Toot-toot was flying around in blind panic. "The Lord of Shadows, here? The lords of Faerie must be told soon! Pizza Lord, I can do nothing. None of the Little Folk can. Only the stronger fae might be able to defy the order, but never us. Kith and kin has been lost to the shadows before; the Queens know enough not to oppose it. I can do nothing."

"But, why?" I spluttered. Toot and his medley band of the Little Folk called the 'Za Lord's Guard had never failed me yet, until now.

"A long time ago, the Fae decided to turn their hand to Khemet. Then … the Pharaoh played a game with the Mothers, She Who Was of both Courts. He emerged triumphant." Toot flew up, wings beating furiously. "I cannot say more, 'Za Lord, lest the Queens find out! No Fae would face his power, but none may seek his aid."

"What the hell is this guy?" I coughed from pixie dust (don't ask) as Toot-toot flew off, my skin shivering as a cold north wind blew through.

Cold. North. Wind.

Damn. I didn't know that the faerie messenger service was _that_ fast.

My eyes on the ground reached the hem of a white dress and looked up to heart-stopping beauty and cold, wide eyes, feline and slitted like a cat's, the colour shifting in time to her jewellery- or, even, the jewels were shifting in time with her _eyes._ And those eyes, though beautiful beyond any lexicon's bind, were cold, inhuman, filled with intelligence and desire, but empty of anything resembling compassion or pity. Those eyes were directed in our direction, and the corners of her lips lifted into a smile empty of any amusement. She was one of the Aos Si, the rulers of Faerie, remnants of the legendary Tuatha de Danaan and their legacy, but I knew to be afraid.

In my pocket, I could feel Bob the Skull shivering from fear. I heard Marik gasp beside me.

" _You_ ," Grimalkin the Cat Sith snarled beside her. "Keeper of the Tomb. So you stir trouble within our land once more?"

"It's not your land, and I wasn't the Keeper you last met." Marik pointed out coolly. "And trouble found us this time. Besides, our duty is finished, or why else would we be so far from the legend of the Nameless Pharaoh?"

Her eyes narrowed. "No Fae would dare not remember the one who trapped the armies of Faerie in shadows. He has played a game with the Queens of Faerie, and we recognised him as a worthy adversary, if a mortal one. But, he is dead."

"No," Marik shook his head. "Only half. The other half of his soul remains in this world as his inheritor, Your Majesty, Queen of Air and Darkness, Mab of the Winter Court of the Sidhe. Half the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh of the Shadows lives on in a young boy, the Prince of Light who now stands in his place as Judge of Shadows."

She took a small step back. _Mab_ took a step back. Wow. "No...he _cannot_." the Winter Queen whispered. "The Nameless Pharaoh died nameless. The gods cannot allow one who died unremembered live again."

"The boy is only about twenty-one," Marik continued, unheeding of her words. "He loves puzzles, games, and he is absolutely enraptured with his darkness, his other self. The Pharaoh sees him as a prince of everything good, the light to his own darkness. You may hold the title of Queen of Air and Darkness, but remember that the inheritor holds something that even you would kill to never see light."

"What?" she growled. Or at least, Grimalkin did. "What can scare the Queen of the Unseelie Fae, monarch of the Winter Sidhe?"

"The True Name of the one who not only imprisoned your armies in the Shadows once, but who took the Sidhe Maret, TruthsTale, Brianna and Tytannial from the Courts." Marik inclined his head. "The one who fought and led a mortal army to victory against the combined powers of Faerie. Those who were the Ladies before you or Queen Titania, Your Majesty. Those who were chosen over your majesties. And they were defeated by one mortal before all of Faerie, contracted into service in the shadows. He is coming, and I wouldn't presume to … do anything to injure his other half. He is so protective of the child who knows his true Name."

The cold Winter Queen who scared the beejezus out of me swallowed. "You would dare-"

"I wouldn't," Marik shrugged, eyes wide and mad and...red? "He is missing, and...well, you know how the young are like when faced with torture. I am merely pointing out that it is in your best interests to...ignore this."

Her eyes shifted to him. "You are not the Keeper."

"I _am_ ," he smirked, the cold dangerous dark smirk that was just plain twisted and evil and creepy. "I'm just a different, ah, aspect."

"As dangerous as an insane fool," Grimalkin murmured in Mab's stand. "Winter stands by the decision made long ago. Summer would as well. Theoretically speaking. The current Summer Lady tries to change the Courts, without realising that we are what we are."

"So we can expect no faeries to delay us?" Marik asked. "Time runs short, Your Majesty. If Pharaoh descends here, who knows how the shadows of this city will react."

"Sly as the desert fox," Mab shook her head slowly. "None of Winter will delay you, but none save I or my daughter will aid you either. I cannot speak for Summer; Titania has been known to do the opposite of my actions before, and the possible return of two of the Summer High Sidhe to her Court now that her power of the throne is secure might convince her to move against you in that faint hope."

"We might take our chances," Marik shrugged. "A truce until the little boy-king is found and secured?"

"I will agree to that, Tomb Keeper," Grimalkin hissed in Mab's proxy. "As long as you keep your end of the bargain."

"I _might_ ," Marik giggled disturbingly. "The Tomb Robber Bakura may not. I am hardly the only darkness within this city, Your Majesty."

"If you do not," Grimalkin calmly replied for the Queen. "I will find you."

Shadows reached out from under Marik's feet, my feet, and raised themselves towards the Queen, tendrils seeking out. "You may try," Marik sang. "Why, Your Majesty, you are the Queen of Darkness, are you _scared_ of your own subjects, my Queen?"

Then his eyes abruptly widened before snapping back to a wide violet. "Oh, that- Queen Mab."

"Goodbye," Mab herself hissed towards us, the anger of Winter preparing to lash out at us. I raised my arms in a feeble parody of defence-

Shadows erupted and lashed out at ice-crusted gale, breaking Winter's magic and the Queen's hold. Marik had drawn out a dagger from his boot, no doubt steel, stepping through shadow remnants with dagger raised. "That...what'd you do that for?"

"How dare you, to have shadow-touched in the Queen's presence!" Grimalkin howled, high and screeching like a cat. Yep, definitely Grimalkin's rage.

"Goodbye, Queen Mab," Marik Ishtar whispered, deadly like the desert snakes.

And Mab vanished.

"Okay," I started, turning on the twenty-plus kid the Gatekeeper ordered me to follow and talked to like an equal. The blonde Egyptian turned lavender eyes on me, blinking. "Start by telling me what's going on, how this has got to do with card games, and why the hell can _the_ Mab get so scared. I'm confused, and I want answers, and I'm all out of bubblegum."

Marik looked at me. "The Gatekeeper didn't tell you?"

"He told me in the prescient and frankly mysteriously annoying way of his that this was pre-Merlin magic. Dark magic. And that all this has got to do with a missing inheritor and shadows." I frowned. "And that's pretty much it."

His eyes narrowed. "I see. Elder Rashid has many answers to provide. Let's go to Ryou; I'm not the only one involved in this and I'd rather not try to explain alone to a straight wizard."

"Why?" I asked as we walked towards the Forensic Institute.

"The last wizard I had to explain to didn't take it kindly," Marik dully replied. "Tried to chop my head off before the Tomb Keepers could explain. And the Merlin excommunicated us until El Alamein, and even then he completely took all the credit for the battle. After that, only the Gatekeeper would look out for us, if only because we rubbed the Council the wrong damn way due to our charge."

"And that would be...?" I hazarded a guess. There was a lot of things that rubbed the Council raw, after all. I was one of them.

"The Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh!" Marik dramatically pronounced. "Of course, you can't expect the stick-up-ass Wardens -no offence- to understand that we can't destroy the damn thing or abandon our charge. Warden Morgan still with them?"

"He died," I sombrely replied.

"Oh," Marik's expression softened. "I...see. Killed in service against dark magic?"

"Yes," I shrugged. Donald Morgan had died in disgrace as a traitor when the hero that he was took a bullet from the traitor Peabody. I suppose that counts.

"Figures," he grunted.

"I suppose you two met," I replied almost deceptively nonchalantly. Anyone who had met Morgan was either on the business end of a sword or at the other end. Enemy... or ally.

"I was ten." he dully replied. "The Council pulled me in on charges."

I paused. There was virtually no way that any warlock could have gotten off breaking the Laws of Magic scot-free, unless they were dead, or...

"You're under the Doom?"I stated conversationally.

"No, I got off under a technicality, several veiled threats and the use of a magic sceptre said to be able to control minds," Marik shrugged. "I was ten. Morgan looked into my eyes."

To a ten-year-old, confused and scared after the Wardens' arrival, to have to see the soul of a battered Warden...I swallowed nervously.

"He was an absolutely detestable man," Marik finalised. "But he did what he thought was right. We respect that."

Unusual. Who's _we_?

We arrived at the Forensic Institute as the sun was setting over the sky, to see the white-haired boy from earlier running at high speed towards us.

"Ryou-" Marik began.

"Run!" Ryou shouted, right before the thing chasing him was revealed. "Run! It's real zombies!"

For the record, real zombies are nothing like the shambling half-dead corpses commonly seen in movies that go for brains. The half-rotting corpse currently dashing after Ryou would have put Speedy Gonzalez to shame, and it's all but indestructible to boot, being dead and thus none of the limitations life would have imposed on it.

Marik just raised an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you-?"

Three more zombies appeared as a woman screamed nearby.

"Too many people," Marik concluded, latching on to my arm. "Let's dash."

I couldn't agree more. We ran.

* * *

 _  
**Please review!**   
_


	12. Savage Colosseum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Look forward to some BxR angst, acceptance of the dark from the light, more creepy spirit thoughts, and possible Dresdensque pyrotechnics with the help of two psychos. This is probably the CMOA moment. If I can't get this on the page, at least let me pull in the reviews with this...** _

_  
**Look forward to some BxR angst, acceptance of the dark from the light, more creepy spirit thoughts, and possible Dresdensque pyrotechnics with the help of two psychos. This is probably the CMOA moment. If I can't get this on the page, at least let me pull in the reviews with this...**   
_

_  
**Oh, yeah, Mist of Rainbows has been kind enough to express her concerns about whether Yami no Yuugi is becoming a Gary Stu. To be honest, I have been considering this as well, seeing as a Gary Stu would mean a complete failure of narrative plot.**   
_

_  
**Let us consider: In Dresdensque hierarchy, gods top, followed by angels, followed by Faerie Queens. We have the King of Games (who can control the Egyptian Gods) who challenged the Mothers**   
_   
**before**   
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**the current Mothers (you don't really think that faeries don't die?) and won. This, by the way, is before iron became weapon material.**   
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_  
**Placed in this context and compared to a Faerie Queen...I think cautious respect instead of fear is merited. Also consider that, in any universe, there is an idiot who wants to rule the whole world, and that summoning a spirit capable of that power is exactly what those idiots would do. So, I am thinking that Mab, the Queen of Air and**   
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**Darkness,**   
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**is a lot more far-sighted and considers the implications of the True Name of 'the one who has the knowledge and power of**   
_   
**darkness'**   
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**floating around. Note that to others, this can be interpreted as fear. It's all a matter of perspective, really.**   
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_  
**Toot-toot does crazy things for Harry, yeah, I agree. However, remember that Toot-toot is a faerie, and faeries are bound to the orders of the Queens. Also remember that in war, every Wyldfae chooses a side eventually, so the Queens' decrees can spread to the whole of Faerie.**   
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_  
**On a final note, Dresden killed the Summer Lady. And Dresden always emphasises that there are more powerful wizards out there. We just have to place it in context.**   
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**I hope my reasoning does not disappoint. Thank you, Mist of Rainbows, for addressing this concern.**   
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* * *

**Chapter 12: Savage Colosseum.**

It cannot be seen, it cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, it lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills. Comes first, follows after, ends life, kills laughter.

It is darkness; the Darkness that swirls about in this realm in which there is hardly any light, only enough to perceive the shadows and the living black mass of darkness. And in its midst...

 _Aibou_ , the one in the darkness whispers, shadows coalescing about it as it approaches the boundary, angry at the news it had just received from the shadows' whispers. The promise of oblivion hung heavy over the realm as the one being pushes on. Sheer willpower forced the weakening spirit to shamble on against the undeniable _push_ of the realm, clad in undying determination of the darkness to reach its desire.

 _Light, light,_ _light,_ it chants, a whisper echoing in a realm of silence.

 _Hold on, my light. Your darkness approaches._

* * *

"Harry, this job comprises way too much running!" Bob the talking air-spirit-of-intellect-in-a-skull I had stuffed in my duster yelled as we turned left down one of the many capillaries of alleys that were abundant in cities, especially Chicago, in a bid to escape being chased by zombies. Upon reflection that not only did a skull in the duster stretch the leather out and was a stupid idea to begin with, I made out that at least one was a ghoul which improved our odds somewhat. Ghouls can die, but in the case of a zombie, you can't really kill what's already dead to begin with. And I didn't want to test my not-so-stellar control of fire in cramped quarters like the alleys of Chicago. Knowing my luck, I would probably incinerate my allies as well. As it were, the rapidly diminishing sunlight already meant that our vision was going to be impaired, but a ghoul's night vision would work just fine. And blindly running was just asking to get eaten and killed.

"Why, _why,_ did you have to get involved with him, of all things? I thought the so-called Nameless Pharaoh was dead!" Bob continued wailing. "Even Justin was smart enough to discard the idea!"

"Shut up, Bob!" I roared at my coat pocket as we ran. "Wait till we get far enough, then talk!"

"Far enough?" Ryou panted, just barely keeping up.

"Should be," Marik snapped, pulling a -card?- out of a box on a belt looped around his waist. " _Vampire Lord_!"

Believe it or not, there was a swirl of purple mist and a man in true Gothic Dracula costume complete with dramatic red cape appeared in a swarm of bats. Marik stood his ground as the chasers stopped in their tracks.

"Vampire Lord, attack!" he yelled, pointing at them. "Children of the Night!"

The friggin _vampire_ turned into a swarm of bats which attacked all of them at once on command, many paces from us.

"It won't hold them forever," Marik panted, leaning against the brick wall. "You, wizard, plan?"

Self-preservation took the questions I had and shelved them aside for later questioning, so I was relatively lucid when I nodded, hands on knees and panting, and said: "Yeah. Burn them to ashes."

"Brilliant," Marik growled, frowning at the rapidly diminishing swarm. "Knew I should have used a stronger monster, anyway, get to setting things on fire! Anyone got gasoline?"

"What if they know where's Yuugi?" Ryou voiced, recovering.

"Burn that bridge when we get to it," I replied. "Now, you two...no, you, the white-haired kid, run and get help. Marik, you back me up and get a nice monster ready to rip whatever remaining from the bonfire, okay? Move!"

Ryou nodded and ran off at the same time Marik asked "What bonfire?"

I hefted my handy blasting rod and grinned. "What do you think?"

* * *

Ryou was thanking whatever higher power up there that made sure that Mokuba and Diana had to return to the convention centre for the Queens' War act and Commissioner of the Championships (in Mokuba's case) dragging a protesting -and swearing so much Diana stuffed a bar of anti-bacterial soap in his mouth before they said goodbye to the nice forensic examiner friend of Dresden, as Mr 'Tall, Dark and Unconscious' (in Marik's words) was called- Jounochi along as he dashed through the alleys, (hopefully) in the correct direction to the Forensic Institute and thus Harry's surgeon friend and a phone.

 _You know, I could deal with those if you'd just let me,_ a certain Thief King conversationally stated, and Ryou swore that the spirit was cleaning its nails on a metaphorical shirt as it said so, leaning on the wall and leering from wherever its soul room was -he prayed that it was not attached to _his_ soul- now.

"You take control, and then who knows how long before I get my body back," he spoke out loud. If he was going to deny the spirit's existence, might as well go all the way and go mad. A sanatorium overlooking the English Channel was looking more and more attractive...

 _Why would I?_ The spirit was clearly amused. _I'm clearly sane after about three millennia of being puppet-controlled by a dark god trying to destroy the world, and I even got comeuppance for that. I'm clearly the other half of your soul and without me you'd never feel complete like right now, and I have a vested self-interest in you breathing, in control of your own body, and not in the nice happy place with jackets with long sleeves and padded walls that you've been threatened with before when I get back. And, you think a sea view's an improvement?_

"You are not here, you're not my boss, and you will not steal whatever life I've built up in these three years!" Ryou heatedly spoke as he slowed to a walk within sight of the Forensic Institute. "I've got on fine for three years without you, and before that almost a whole year, and before that almost fifteen years of my life! Get out of my head and back to the afterlife!"

 _Oh? Really? I have testimony from our deck that says otherwise._

"It's _my_ deck, not _our_ deck!" Ryou shot back to thin air. Several people on the street turned to look at him. He stormed on towards the Forensic Institute, ignoring the looks.

 _It's been what, four years since Battle City? You still keep Dark Sanctuary, Dark Necrofia, Diabound and the rest of them with you. You've been building a deck mostly around Fairy-Types, but you've never thrown out a Fiend card. And, the clincher is that your favourite card, my_ hikari, _is still Change of Heart. The Battle City deck is still intact, with not a single change in it._

"How do you know...?"

 _You've been drowning in the holy river of the Nile, omote._

"Shut up..." Ryou murmured, determination fading.

 _Omote –_ he was hallucinating if Thief King Bakura sounded _concerned..._

"Shut up already..." The semi-mental conversation had left him drained, yes, that was it, that was _not_ denial setting in-

 _Look out, Ra dammit!_

There it was again, the familiar feeling of darkness calling, of being safely ensconced and wrapped in darkness and shadows and just wanting to _sleep_ and it would all be over when he woke up...the familiar detachment of body from mind, the wrapping of soul within protective shadows whose master was at least around to fill the void of loneliness...

For once, part of Ryou Bakura called to the shadows, and the shadows answered.

As a ghostly arm wrapped itself around his waist, Ryou could have sworn that another arm was pointing at the would-be ghoul assassin, and a rough voice like sandpaper, all harsh and rough and uncultured would have roared in rage:

 _  
**Penalty Game!**   
_

* * *

Katsuya Jounochi resisted the urge to call Ryou and Marik as he milled about the filling convention centre, watching Mai mop up the last of 'Bandit' Keith Howard. Something was niggling at him, like the Shadows themselves were agitating for him to do something and fast.

His deck reacted as before his eyes flashed a series of images; a trio of men running towards them, with the feeling of malicious intent. Easy enough to understand, someone needed help from being chased by weirdos, nothing odd there. This was finished with the image that caused him to swallow.

Instead of the semi-serene image of _Change of Heart_ , up flashed the horrifying visage of _Diabound Kernel_.

For one thing, Ryou had always signed off their card-calls with the Change of Heart. And even then, there was no way the gentle half-British Duellist would ever use the horrifying card that the dark Bakura had inflicted upon them all. It would be too much of a cruel joke...

"It's Katsuya Jounochi!" he heard a squeal, and just barely resisted the urge to face-palm in public. The Duellist's curse: rabid fans.

 _Sorry, you're on your own now...or not..._

"Kaiba," he whispered to the CEO standing within earshot.

Three years of teaming up with the 'mutt' against Yuugi's more extreme situations had taught Seto Kaiba that Katsuya Jounochi would only use that tone in times such as the last World Championships which had been crashed by the whole Black Magician family. The warning pulse from Kisara gave him pause to doubt the lucky Duellist.

"Diabound," Kaiba growled. "Not Bakura, then, but the other."

"Ryou's in danger," Jounochi whispered back as _Harpy Lady Sisters_ decimated Keith's _Roulette Barrel_ with the help of _Triangle Ecstasy Spark_ and won Mai the duel. "I've gotta..."

"You go _nowhere,_ your match is next," Kaiba growled. "And you're up against Rebecca Hawkins."

"Kaiba, I can't stay here, Yuugi's missing-"

"Move your ass to the duelling podium, dolt. Obviously _you_ can't move, so I'm sending someone who can," Kaiba snapped, any semblance of patience gone. "And believe me, if the other Bakura got loose, it would be a lot more bloody and depressing here, and the crowd doesn't look depressed."

The CEO had a point; Jounochi had hardly ever seen a bigger turnout for a Duel Monsters-oriented convention outside of Japan and Europe and convention-goers were cheering on him and the now-teenaged Rebecca smirking at him from across the duel podium.

"Move it!"

And Kaiba demonstrated skill a drill sergeant would kill to have by shoving the blonde Duellist up on the platform by sheer will alone.

As the Duel started, Kaiba began to wince as a migraine set in. _This feeling...the maniac Ishtar as well?_

* * *

As one zombie lay smouldering, and twitching slightly as the purifying effects of fire did its work on the mangled body, Marik reflected that setting things on fire was not a very good idea in enclosed spaces like an alley. For one thing, though it did its work, the wizard, Dresden, was now in line of sight of whatever he could use Vampire Lord to attack. Also, the fire had increased the temperature to something less than the cool autumn that was beginning to grow on him.

"Vampire Lord, take down the zombie!" he grated through his teeth, aware that his current skill level and exhaustion meant that it was impossible for him to summon anything stronger than Vampire Lord for a while.

 _Maybe I can,_ giggled the other Marik, and Marik could swear that Malik was appearing in a ghostly form right next to him and definitely with a presence even despite the lack of body. _Hikari-pretty, let me, let me..._

"No chance," Marik grated, willing the Vampire Lord to rip a seemingly indestructible walking undead body into pieces while the wizard dealt with the ghoul. No matter how inadvisable it was for a mortal to go hand-to-hand with a supernatural being with strength and speed to match. The wizard seemed to be holding his own, though...

In his peripheral vision, Marik saw the ghoul scratch the wizard before kicking the back of the wizard's knee and raise its claws for a finishing blow through Dresden's skull. Without thinking, Marik threw himself forward and pushed the wizard back, aware that the claws were already going to come down onto his skull...

 _Hikari-pretty!_

And as he changed places with his darkness, Marik wondered why this time was so much more comfortable than the previous times...

* * *

I watched as the seemingly physically weaker Marik Ishtar overpowered the ghoul, slamming said half-hyena hybrid into the brick wall hard enough to cause spider-web cracks to form in brick. Even the ghoul's super-strength was wasted as Marik grabbed its throat and dug his fingers into soft muscle tissue, uncaring as blood spilled over his hand.

"I am extremely tired of this," the cold voice that was _not_ Marik Ishtar hissed. The ghoul, or at least what I could make out as I got up, seemed to pale and stopped struggling. "I want answers. Why?"

The ghoul bared its teeth in a gesture of defiance.

" _Juragedo, Vampire Lord,_ " Marik hissed. A puff of purple mist, and another strange, mostly cuboid and spherical monster appeared beside the Dracula rip-off that was shaking the zombie blood off its hand. Yeah, I can't imagine the blood of undead as tasty either. "It seems that _someone_ is trying to hurt hikari-pretty," the creepy high pitch was back, "and I should really do something about this, no? Juragedo, here..."

The ghoul howled in panic as the cube-sphere monster floated over to it and began babbling in Demotic.

"Er, 'we were supposed to take the white-haired one and the two blondes to master, we did not know that they were shadow-touched, the LaRouche clan meant no harm to the tomb, please don't kill us, great one,'" Bob rapidly translated. My talking skull was always better at languages than me.

"What's it about this Pharaoh?" I asked Bob quietly.

"It's one of the legends of the supernatural world." Bob whispered at me, eyeing an eerily laughing Marik. "A powerful Pharaoh-god of long and long ago, who commanded the Darkness like his own and passed the judgements of the gods. Some say that he played a game with fate and won."

"Did he?" I asked.

"He sealed a dark god that was out to destroy worlds by giving up his true Name and sealing his soul in an artefact," Bob replied. "No one really knows what happened to his remains or his legacy, not even the Archive of the time. No one really knows if half the things he supposedly did was true; that he did challenge the Black King to a Dark Game and won. Of course, afterwards the White Council came in and destroyed physical evidence of this magic they considered dark, with the exception of in Egypt. It became mostly hearsay thereafter, since the thought of a single entity able to command those of the void that once lay on the face of the deep is just plain scary."

"Why?" I asked, as the ghoul started pleading for mercy away from Marik and his monsters.

"Too close to all seven laws," Bob replied. "At some point, that magic would have crossed all but the Sixth Law, and it's pretty damn powerful and increases with continued use rather than diminishing with proliferation. So the White Council pulled a cultural revolution, but they couldn't touch the real dark stuff that's been guarded over by tomb-keepers for millennia."

The ghoul began screaming in more pain and babbling as the vampire Marik had called -how did he _do_ that?- plucked off a hand. Eww. I felt like hurling.

"'Those of the LaRouche allied with the one called Cowl will come and kill you,'" Bob translated as the ghoul's claws scored Marik's forearm.

Cowl. The most powerful necromancer I've ever had the misfortune to meet. A powerful warlock who tried something years ago in this very city to raise himself into god-like power, and just barely stopped by yours truly. He later involved himself in a White Court conflict and I nearly died again. He was bad news, and his appearance here absolutely did not bode well. Good money says that he was involved in this kidnapping.

The Egyptian ignored the blood seeping from his arms as his grip tightened, his other and pulling out a huge, long knife from his boot that he appraisingly studied. "Oh, what a nice sharp knife," the scary tomb-keeper cooed. I felt sickened at Marik's personality change. The ghoul's eyes bulged out in realisation. "Let's try it out."

The ghoul's head made a _squelch_ sound as it was decapitated and it impacted on pavement. I would have felt sickened if not for the reason that if it didn't die, we would have.

The second reason was that in the dying sunlight, I saw that Marik's eyes were indeed red, instead of lavender...a mad, mad red like blood...

And the soul-gaze began.

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**Please review!**   
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**Oh, yeah. About Morgan: I've said in a previous chapter that the Tomb-Keepers were only inducted into the White Council around the Battle of El Alamein (that's 1940s era) and presumably because of Kemmler (the crazy necromancer who tried to turn himself into a god and seriously pushed the envelope of dark magic in Dresden canon in Dead Beat, for DF fans).**   
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**Of course, Langtry the Merlin is a paranoid bastard -this opinion is subject to bias after reading the Dresden Files- right after Morgan, and so I don't think it far-fetched to send the most intimidating Warden ever after the Tomb-Keepers. Further considering the mostly patriarchal society the Tomb-Keepers seem to employ, Luccio would have been rejected, so Morgan would have made the next best choice.**   
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**I hope my reasoning is correct...**   
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	13. Allure of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Ooh, it looks good... The story's developing...Including more gore from our favourite Thief King!** _

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**Ooh, it looks good... The story's developing...Including more gore from our favourite Thief King!**   
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**Please review! I really love reviews!**   
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* * *

**Chapter 13: Allure of Darkness**

"Well, well," Marik's cold voice echoed through as I looked into his soul.

Oddly enough, I found myself in a torture chamber.

An iron maiden stood propped against the far wall, swinging invitingly open with its sharp spikes, while on the bare sandstone walls on either side were little hooks and shelves upon which weapons and torture implements were suspended or hung, some oddly well-cared for, others with the rust of neglect apparent. Almost every sharp object known to man, and some to the kitchen, including a corkscrew, for some odd reason, was on that wall.

Hell's bells. That did not bode well for this wizard.

"Ah," a cold voice like Marik's sighed behind me, and I turned around with no small amount of trepidation.

Marik was standing there, glaring at me. Wait, this was no Marik; the Marik I had met earlier did not have gleaming red eyes, nor did his hair look like the product of a really bad case of bed-head and three gallons of hair gel. His features were also stretched into a horrible parody of a smile that stretched his eyes as he hefted a really sharp dagger in each hand.

"We have an intruder in our soul," the not-Marik purred as he idly licked one of his knives. Ew. " _Gil Garth, Legendary Fiend_."

Monsters straight out of either science fiction, horror or an unholy combination of both appeared on either side of the not-Marik, who grinned at me. To me, the wizard who had fought monsters for most of his life, these terrified me, if only because they were clearly parts of the soul, and that souls could be so … black was a terrifying thought.

My heart leapt to my throat.

"Take him," Not-Marik almost purred.

As the monsters walked/floated closer, I swear that somewhere, I panicked as the shadows themselves leapt t bind my hands and feet and one of the more humanoid monsters lifted this big-ass sword...

"Empty night," I quietly swore.

"Malik!" Marik's voice rang out, echoing across the torture chamber. "Leave him alone!"

The not-Marik, Malik, grimaced, the monsters stopping in their tracks. "But, _hikari-pretty –_ "

"Malik." Marik's tone there brooked no argument.

Malik scowled at something behind him. "Aww, no fun," he whined.

Then the soulgaze ended and I found myself on my ass on the ground, Marik staring at me with a whole new emotion in his lavender eyes.

"Oh."

"That was … unusual," I diplomatically offered.

Marik dumbly nodded.

"Great," I sighed, picking myself up. My legs didn't seem to want to stop shaking after the soulgaze, so I used the wall as a support to lever myself to a standing position. Marik grabbed his knife, wiping it on the ghoul's clothing before keeping the thing somewhere on his person, not that I managed to see where. "So," I conversationally started. "Care to fill me in?"

Marik took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Reach the Forensic Institute first. there might be more hitters. I'd rather have Ryou around when I explain this. I'm not good at explaining; I was trained for most of my life to guard secrets, not tell them."

I could sort of sympathise, having been keeping the secret of the White Council. Plus, he made sense. "Right. But you're going to explain damn well."

* * *

"Scalpel," the not-Ryou demanded, hand out to receive it. Butters dumbly handed the stainless steel implement over. The medical examiner had already given up on answers when the white-haired man had hauled the human-thing that was clearly non-human on his autopsy table and proceeded to 'borrow' his knives.

"Good, sharp, tiny blade but that doesn't matter," the Ryou gone mad muttered, before driving the scalpel through the human-thing's left hand. A crack of metal informed the rapidly panicking medical examiner that the scalpel wasn't going to be retrieved any time soon.

Three rinse and repeats on each of the monster's limbs later, Butters felt sickened.

* * *

A stunning sight greeted us as we walked into the Forensic Institute's autopsy lab. Butters was standing by the wall, staring with no small amount of horror at his autopsy table. This was a whole lot of wrong, by the way; Butters could safely eat lunch in front of a three-month old corpse without any ill effects. I couldn't blame him, though, seeing what was on his autopsy table.

Someone had taken Butters' stainless steel scalpels, and driven them through the palms and ankles of the man laid spread-eagled on the aluminium autopsy table. From how much of the handle I could see from the doorway, the scalpel had to go through flesh _and_ the table surface, which was all kinds of horrifying that by all rights belonged in a B-rated horror movie. Even worse was that the man pinned like a butterfly to a card had his mouth open as if about to scream, but no sound came out due to the grip the white-haired young man held to his throat as he drove another scalpel through a limb.

For a moment, I was tempted to pull Ryou away.

Then I noted that normal vanilla humans did not have elongated snouts or that many teeth, and my anger faded away. In my book, I could hardly see anything wrong with pinning cannibals to autopsy tables via scalpel. The cheap muscle for hire of the supernatural world did not inspire this wizard's sympathy, no siree.

"Ryou...?" Marik asked with some trepidation, lavender eyes frozen on the ghoul.

"Harry!" Butters the local in-the-know medical examiner and occasional patch-up man of yours truly yelped, leaping in my direction. "Thank God! That nice white-haired kid suddenly became more mean and he put that on my table and he took my scalpels and..."

"Butters," I soothingly attempted to calm the M.E down. "Calm down, I'm sure Ryou can explain everything..."

"Ryou's not home right now," a raspy voice issued forth from Ryou's mouth who was definitely _not_ the kid. It was rough, uncultured, the complete opposite of the kid's, and dangerous. "You'll just have to ask me."

Stars and stones, this one was a complete _psycho._

Marik, too, had frozen in place. "B-Bakura?" he stuttered, slowly walking backwards towards the doorway.

"The one and only," the not-Ryou sneered, turning towards us.

That was _not_ Ryou, although he wore the same striped shirt and jeans that Ryou wore. Ryou didn't seem like he could sneer like the twisted parody before me. Ryou's face still hadn't lost enough baby fat the last time I saw it, while this one was all angles and sharp cheekbones you could see from space. And Ryou had soft, kind, green eyes, not eyes the colour of old blood, russet and foreboding and _mad._ This not-Ryou terrified me, because if the eyes were the windows to the soul, then this one's soul would be a barren wasteland. Even the _stripes_ were starting to look threatening.

Marik squeaked, for lack of a better term. "I thought you-"

"A Dark Game couldn't kill me, and the Pharaoh never banished me permanently," the not-Ryou, Bakura, growled, delicately picking up a scalpel from Butters' scalpel selection. This made the third time I've faced a dangerous situation in this med lab. "From the look on your face, the maniac's back as well, huh?"

"None of your business," Marik growled. "At least I can claim DID, while Ryou can't exactly say that, seeing as he's possessed by you."

Oh. Possession. That explains some things... yeah, right.

"I found this worm trying to kill my host outside the building of corpses," Bakura changed the subject, fondly playing with the next sharp stainless steel implement. "This raises the question of _who._ The _why_ is obvious, as is the _how,_ and _when_ and _what._ The only question that remains, aside from who … is _where_."

Bakura must have done something to the lab walls and cameras, for the ghoul began screaming but no one came running. My eardrums throbbed from the sheer volume as Bakura let go of the ghoul's throat.

"Now, I will continue my autopsy upon this soon-to-be-dead scavenger," Bakura continued, the scalpel lowering. "If he does not tell me soon, I will show him a hell he won't forget. Five days to Halloween, and no midget in sight. If we continue like this, the Pharaoh's going to break through the walls by sheer willpower at least a day early. The fact that I can sense the idiot blonde mutt summon is a testimony to the spillover."

The scalpel touched skin, and the ghoul abruptly stopped screaming, but the look of sheer terror was still present. Bakura's expression must have been feral beyond reason to terrify a ghoul like this.

"Start." Bakura hissed.

"Bakura, that might not be a good idea-" Marik nervously began.

"Ishtar, unless you want to deal with less-than-sane monsters and a maniac loose, you'll help me," Bakura hissed back, clearly already insane. "I just got back from the other side because not only was someone stupid enough to start a ritual here, but also because someone tampered with the barriers here earlier. In these conditions, and with the midget gone, someone will summon _him,_ and where the idiot goes, so does me and the maniac. So, unless you want to be fighting the maniac in your head for the rest of what looks to be a really extended life, get him talking!"

"We have left Logic and Sanity Junction," my mouth stated on autopilot. "Next stop, Looneyville."

* * *

"Mr Rashid," Mokuba volunteered as he crouched behind the steering wheel. Rashid had offered to escort him and Diana to the convention, only for their car to be ambushed just as the sun set right over the city. The driver had been knocked out, leaving the Vice President to drive through part of downtown Chicago with a hostile car on their tail. "Mind if you keep the magic down a bit?"

The Gatekeeper looked to the teenager trying to navigate the streets of Chicago. "Is the engine breaking down? I cannot gather enough focus to work sufficiently destructive magic."

"Nope," Mokuba swerved left, executing a likely illegal racing move to speed up. "Diana, contact Nii Sama. We need him to handle- _argh_!" the car bucked as one of the back tyres were shot out.

"Already told him," Diana held up the _Magical Citadel of Endymion_ card. "Help should be coming-"

"How do you use a card to call for help!" Murphy yelled, attempting to line up a shot towards the pursuing car. As a sudden boom of a screaming jet rang out overhead, the roar of a dragon could be heard echoing down from the relative darkness as the card turned the next corner.

"Now," Diana finished.

Mokuba executed an extremely illegal parallel park before the three scarpered, Mokuba hauling the unconscious driver out of the car before the pursuers crashed into it. Whoever -and whatever, because Mokuba had never heard such sibilant sounds from a human being- was in the car began screaming, definitely in terror at the monster overhead.

A lone flash illuminated the dark skies as the Blue Eyes White Dragon descended upon the Chicago street. Its roar was a terrifying thing to behold as lightning crackled within its maw, ready to tear and kill and generally blast everything in the surrounding area to shreds. Metallic claws and scales gleamed in what little light there was, shadows flickering over the dragon in ways that no DuelDiskTM could ever mimic as the presence of the white dragon loomed over.

"Hunter," Seto Kaiba, impassively standing by the great white dragon of Duel Monsters legend, "You're late."

Diana could only weakly point to the screaming pursuit car, whose members were trapped by virtue of the lock-down mechanism stuck by the wizard's curse.

"I see," Cold cerulean eyes studied the vehicle before a decision was reached. "Blue Eyes. Destroy it."

Murphy's eyes widened as the great white dragon roared and unleashed a blast of destructive lightning at the metal vehicle. Upon impact, the smell of ozone was rank in the air as whatever was inside was fried by electricity and exploded. "Oh, my God."

"My brother's the coolest," Mokuba whispered in awe as the remaining breeze from the explosion died down, and Seto Kaiba's gravity-defying trench coat stopped flapping.

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**And folks, that's the BEWD! Stay tuned!**   
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	14. Dark Magic Curtain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**I had this interesting review from Deviate's Fish:** _

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**I had this interesting review from Deviate's Fish:**   
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**Well.**

 **Ok.**

 **So I finally finished dragging my feet. I'm here now, and reading. This surprised me really. I thought I'd not be interested in this. Ah. I was wrong. I like this. Very much so.**

 **But there's little for me to say.**

 **What is there to say? What would you like to hear? I don't know, but I can but try to encourage you to write more. Is that enough?**

 **So please, do continue.**

 _  
**My answer? Yeah, this is enough Thanks :D**   
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**I also received this review from Laryna6, who just said this:**   
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**Awesome.**

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**With this, Dedication Through Light and Darkness hits the 40-review mark, just 8 short of the highest review count one of my stories ever received. The highest, I report, is still Iced Chaos, my Dresden Files x Bleach crossover some of you may know.**   
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**This story may be dedicated to ZecoreZecron for putting it in the 'ten percent to die for' section of TvTropes, but this chapter is dedicated to Deviate's Fish and Laryna6 for their sincere reviews.**   
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**Enjoy.**   
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* * *

_Previously..._

" _Ishtar, unless you want to deal with less-than-sane monsters and a maniac loose, you'll help me," Bakura hissed, clearly already insane..._

" _My brother's the coolest," Mokuba whispered in awe as the remaining breeze from the explosion died down, and Seto Kaiba's gravity-defying trench coat stopped flapping._

 _Murphy's eyes widened as the great white dragon roared and unleashed a blast of destructive lightning at the metal vehicle..._

" _We have left Logic and Sanity Junction," my mouth stated on autopilot. "Next stop, Looneyville."..._

 **Chapter 14: Dark Magic Curtain**

Both the crazy lunatic and Marik turned to me. Marik's eyes were comically widened, while the not-Ryou, Bakura, was just incredulous. "Gods, the Hunter was right," he breathed. "You are insane."

"Hunter?" I asked despite myself.

"Someone who owed us a favour and we called it in," the not-Ryou elaborated impatiently. "Now," he continued as another scalpel found itself in the ghoul's forearm. "Where were we?"

The ghoul babbled some more.

Bakura grinned. "See, that wasn't so hard, right?"

"We need salt," I decided. "Marik, you hold him down. Butters, got any salt around?"

"Sorry, wrong place," Butters shook his head.

"Mortal, Ryou has been trying to exorcise me for over five years," Bakura snorted, doing an about-face to me. "The only time he got a reprieve was when the Pharaoh or that lunatic managed to win a game. By the way, lunatic," and suddenly he was in Marik's face. "I know you're in there, and I'm coming after you soon."

Bakura then moved back and turned on me. I, the six-foot-nine wizard, was grabbed by the shirt collar and dragged down to eye level. Russet eyes bore straight into my soul. "Listen, wizard. Do you feel that? Those are the nightmare realm's cries for blood and soul. What you see now can be the end … or the prelude."

He let go, and I stumbled back, stunned at the speed of his words. He was obviously trying to avoid a soulgaze, which was pretty good, since I wasn't all that keen on looking on his soul anyway.

"He's underground, within a ley line work and stuck in a three-layer magic circle, as far as the scavenger can tell." Bakura continued. "Which ley line, wizard, depends on your knowledge. Ishtar, Ryou's going to fall."

Russet gave way to green and Ryou's scared viridian orbs stared back for a moment before they rolled back into his head and he keeled over. Marik caught him before he hit the ground.

I blinked several times. "Okay, I need an explanation."

* * *

"So," I began after Marik's explanation. "A few years before this, some kid solved a magic puzzle that brought magical games and a bad case of multiple personalities to him. At the same time, a cursed pendant brought the same to another kid, and a cursed sceptre did the same thing to you, who was supposed to guard a magic Pharaoh's legacy. One way or another, you three met in a card game tournament that somehow involved summoning real monsters to fight in a magic card game and the missing kid won and found out that his dark side's an ancient Pharaoh from three thousand years ago. Then, after a series of events involving another magic role-playing game, the dark side gained his memories back and the two played another magic card game which the kid won and sent his dark side on to the afterlife." I took a deep breath. "Did I miss anything out?"

All of us had congregated within a private suite set aside for VIPs in the Drake Hotel*, not far off from the convention centre. I was halfway through a cup of coffee when Murphy, the Gatekeeper, and two I recognised as Joey Wheeler and Seto Kaiba and a young teenager I guessed was his little brother came in. Marik was nursing a cup of Earl Grey while Ryou was fast asleep on a nearby settee. I guess the grasshopper took Matthew back home already.

The moment they came in, Murphy and the Gatekeeper sank in a chair while Kaiba and Joey homed in on the coffee.

"I think you got the gist of it just fine," Marik slowly stated, after downing the rest of his tea.

"Then, the kid goes missing, kidnapped by Cowl, the Pharaoh goes ballistic, and monsters are running around my city looking for him. So why did they attack the convention centre?" I was puzzled.

"One of my business associates, a Carson Anderson, turned out to has assisted in the kidnapping, and the monsters intended to take him for interrogation," Kaiba sighed, pouring himself a shot before downing it. "I took him into protective custody before any monsters could rip him apart. He's in the next room now, asleep under drugs."

Murphy jumped up. "He should be in the custody of the Chicago police," she hotly protested.

"No offence, Sergeant Murphy," Kaiba replied, "but whatever proof of his kidnapping isn't physical. None of the charges will stick, because there's no physical proof."

"The priest is correct," the Gatekeeper interjected. "The Shadows would rip his mind apart to get at the secret of their master's location. Mr Anderson is actually safer here."

Murphy grunted, though she sank back down. I had moral issues with kidnapping, but we were talking about a mundane here, and it's not like the man could protect himself against monsters that could move in daylight.

"So," I pulled out the _Insect Queen_ card from my pocket. "What exactly are these monsters?"

"Some are the ka of criminals of ancient Khemet long and long ago," Marik solemnly replied. "Some are the denizens of the very abyss of the deep spawned from the beginning. Some are the souls that chose neither side in the great conflict."

"Then some are the beings who chose their own path but sought sanctuary within the shadows." the Gatekeeper took up. "They are the beings of old, the near-forgotten who cling on to their existence in between light and darkness and appear only in the darkest of nightmares, powers which no mortal have embraced in millennia. And then, there are those who walk the path of shadows and chose to forsake their own humanity to live within the realm of shadows."

No one spoke for a while.

"O-kay," I replied awkwardly. "So, we find the kid, get him to safety until after Halloween, and then situation's resolved, right?"

"Probably," Marik did not meet my eyes.

"Why?" Murphy asked.

"The Council will know of him," the Gatekeeper gravely replied. "And with this kind of magic, it is almost a given that at some point or another, the boy may have broken the Laws."

"So … what will happen?" Joey voiced out, still downing coffee.

"The Council will invoke their penalty on those they consider warlocks," I dully replied. "Death."

There was a clink of porcelain, and Joey spat out his coffee. "You're joking!"

"He's not, Jounochi," Marik told him solemnly. "If they find out, they will kill him. There is no hiding from that."

I looked at him. "You knew that already, didn't you?"

"They haven't found him in three years," Marik said forlornly. "I thought that they would miss him, because he wasn't born with it. He just played a game … and won."

"We must find the inheritor first," the Gatekeeper pointed out. "Only then we can talk about it safely."

"We were jumped today," I informed them. "Ryou caught one of them and ...er... tortured him."

There were more clinks of china as Joey and Kaiba turned to me.

"Bakura?" Joey asked quietly, turning slightly green. I don't blame him. I think anyone who met Bakura had that right to turn green.

I solemnly nodded. "From them, we know that a necromancer, Cowl, is involved."

"The last of Kemmler's disciples," the Gatekeeper noted with some surprise. "Possibly the most unknown of them."

Kaiba snorted and downed another shot. Yeah, I'd feel like drinking too.

"We also know that he is trapped underground, in a ley line, in three circles," I elaborated. "Like the loup-garou."

Murphy blinked. "They think he's that bad? I saw him," she indicated to Kaiba, "summon a dragon. He summoned a dragon, Harry. That shouldn't be possible, right?"

I blinked, not expecting that. "I have no idea what to say," I decided. "But sleep sounds like a very good proposition right- _argh!_ "

Before me sprouted up a red curtain, like a stage curtain except with a pentacle over it and that it just appeared right in the middle of the suite. Within the curtain walked out Djer, dressed as he was in the ridiculous get-up I saw of the _Black_ _Magician_ Molly showed me today, complete with pointy hat, as if he had lived his entire life in it. On him, the night-coloured armoured robes and the staff looked dangerous and absolutely not for show. He looked, and dare I say it, dangerously murderous.

I felt very sorry for whoever on the receiving end.

Murphy's cup fell onto the floor with a thud, thankfully empty or some poor cleaning staff would be hoovering that.

"You," Kaiba recovered his voice first, "have an absolutely horrible sense of timing. It's that time of the year, I see."

"We have cleared much of the west city," Djer started in the flat tone of his he seemed to reserve for everyday use. "My apprentice is enquiring with the Valkyria as to any potential sites that could hold the little master like this. We are moving to the east tonight."

"You're a _game character_?" I spoke out loud. This was so embarrassing. I got my ass whooped by a _game character_. I will never live this down.

He gave me a flat look. "I am, though my card description reads that I am supposedly 'the ultimate wizard in attack and defence'. Are there any problems, priest?" he asked.

"No," Kaiba replied. Glaciers could be warmer than Kaiba was then. "Thank you for informing us."

"Good night, then." the Black Magician walked back into the curtain, which vanished.

I coughed. "I have got to learn that trick," I told Murphy. "If Houdini could do it, then I should too."

Murphy sighed. "Dresden, you are not rigging a red curtain into SI."

* * *

 _We are watching you, wizard!_ The voice rang out in the dark. _You walk in shadows and one day you will slip and fall. And when you do, we will be waiting. You will be ours in the end..._

" _Maybe," I breathed. "But not now. Get out."_

 _The voice cleared, only that..._

… I found myself on stone floor and quickly got up.

Then I blinked, and looked down at myself. I was wearing jeans, a black T-shirt proclaiming _Monsters Kill You Dead_ in white letters _,_ and my leather duster over the ensemble. On my head was jammed a fedora, and I was barefoot, as the cold stone quickly alerted me to the fact, but I was too distracted by where I had landed.

The scene before me was basically an Eschersque maze, made completely of sandstone, the same weathered rock that you know was good quality rock that had weathered centuries, possibly millennia. Stairs as confusing as the next, running up, down, left, right, upside-down, vertically, horizontally, you get the drill, connected platforms that jutted out of the wall from all directions, leading up into a ceiling hidden in shadows. Whatever the time was, my feet told me that it was frigging _cold._

I'm in Oz, I realised. And I forgot my magic slippers.

"Where the hell is this?" I spoke aloud.

 _My domain._

I spun around. "So I guess this is the Nevernever?" I volunteered. "Since I've never been in a tomb before, I'm guessing that you came in through my dreams?"

Confusion was palpable here. _No, you came out to me, and I simply reached for you._

"Ah," I said. "Now I'm only moderately terrified, instead of extremely terrified."

 _Then you are wise. I have crushed many a mind before, even by accident. It only shows that you have what it takes to survive._

I shivered. "So, are you going to show yourself, or do I have to talk to you like this? Because, if you don't mind, I'd like to leave and return to my regularly scheduled dream."

"I see you two have met," a familiar drawl that caused my skin to crawl sounded behind me. I spun around to see the not-Ryou I met today, Bakura, this one tanned, with a scar running in an X-shape below his left eye, and dressed in shorts with a red robe thrown over it and nothing else. The only thing that remained was the mop of long white hair and the russet eyes. "By Ra, Pharaoh, it's cold here."

 _It's a tomb,_ the voice which was steadily on its way to becoming a baritone replied. _It doesn't actually come with heating. Where is the maniac?_

"Haunting the Keeper's dreams, I guess," Bakura drawled. "My guess is a wet dream."

There was a silence as the voice seemed to listen. _I believe you are correct. Ahem. Its seems a very creative use for an iron maiden without spikes._

I am never going to look at a coffin in the same way ever again.

Bakura snorted. "Amateur. If that was what you thought an empty iron maiden was being used for, you've obviously never met the Keepers. Too damn flexible."

I blinked. "Are you reading my mind?" Because I didn't feel any intrusion at all, and that was just scary.

Bakura stared at me. "You're _dreaming._ Therefore, your thoughts are completely open to whoever can look for them."

Ah. "Oh." That explained a lot, since I once had my magic stolen via my dreams.

 _You are the one the Medjai believes capable of searching for my aibou, I believe?_ Hope suffused through the room. Don't ask how I know, I don't understand the process involved.

"Huh? Er, the Gatekeeper's a Medjai, so ... yeah, I guess so," I replied. "But who's your _aibou_? And what does that mean?"

 _Time is short. There is a foolish necromancer who seeks power. He undoubtedly seeks to use my name to control the Darkness through my Inheritor, my partner, my other half._

"You see," I started. "There are many dark forces out there, and not all of them are very powerful-"

Impatience. _Very well. There is darkness in every person's heart, some more, some less. Few are completely of the light or of the darkness. There are powers capable of bring forth the darkness of the heart and rending judgement on these corrupted_ _hearts, as there are powers that can save them. These powers are known only to those with the potential and will._

I blinked.

 _My partner and I were once part of the same soul, that of a Pharaoh who sought to save the world through sealing the powers of judgement,_ the voice continued, resembling a baritone more and more as it pseudo-spoke-thought-whatever. _Bakura and his partner, and Marik and the lunatic, share the same relationship, albeit to a less … inter-dependent degree._

Bakura snorted. "That's a nice way of saying that we essentially tried to enslave the boys and took over their bodies while they were trapped."

 _You were controlled by Zorc Necrophades then,_ the voice -a he- chastised, _and did_ _not know. You know better now … I hope._

I _so_ did not want to know what that meant.

 _Either way, wizard,_ he continued. _Due to that, my partner was born untainted by darkness, as I existed for millennia not knowing light, trapped in the Puzzle of a_ _Thousand Years until my light found the puzzle and pieced them together. Prior to my sealing, release and eventual release into the afterlife, I have played the Dark Games with many entities, some human, other not so, and they form the denizens of the void which once lay on the face of the deep, bound by geas to serve those who can wield the Shadows. Somehow, the creator of Duel Monsters based his game on the carvings we used to trap these beings into stone and created the game from which we can tap into the magic. Do you understand so far?_

"Yeah, I'm good," I slowly replied. "Seriously, it's a literal magic card game?"

 _I do not make the rules. However, with the Dark Games, even gods are involved as pieces on the board, one way or another._

Gods are involved...? "Like pieces as chess?" I volunteered. "You can _do_ that?"

 _If you have to use such an imbecilic crutch to describe so,_ the voice patiently sighed. _Gods and demons may be called upon using the Dark Games to control such beings. You have met my faithful servant Djer, you have fought him and seen only a mere portion of his power. I tell you now that whoever has the power and knowledge of darkness can command even the gods._

"And Cowl is looking for it," I breathed, as much as one could in a dream world. "That's why he kidnapped the kid. To get your Name, summon you, and then ...? Okay, that's where I'm lost."

A sigh that echoed through the place-tomb-whatever. _Think, mage. If I am summoned, obviously there will be an accompanying prison or agreement._

"Ah," I replied. "So Cowl wants to trap you here and basically make you obey his will like a demon?"

 _There are other possibilities, but that is the most likely one. The other most likely is one that I cannot answer._

"Questions of fate?" I asked. "No more, no less?"

 _I have already answered more than three questions, if you would recall our conversation,_ the Pharaoh replied, no doubt smiling in amusement. Don't ask how I knew, I don't understand myself. _What you do is undoubtedly up to you now. Of course, there is the price of summoning one of us to consider, but I don't think that it would unduly concern you. Now, Ra is rising, and I must return you._

"What? You-" I didn't get to finish before I was thrown back into … my apartment. More accurately, my darkened basement living room, complete with bookshelf overflowing with books, old mantelpiece, mismatched furniture, an alcove of a kitchen, and on the couch...

Another me, complete with the beginnings of a beard, more filled-out muscles, and wearing a grey cloak, smiled at me. "I see that you're back."

I scowled. "I haven't seen you since the Denarian throw-down on Demonreach," I complained. "I was celebrating not having you around."

"Someone had to be here to make sure that none of the shadows gets in," he scoffed, reaching towards my hand and grabbing a tendril of shadow that was trailing off me. He snapped the fingers on his other hand and the tendril burst into fire. He smiled at me again, this one less of a smirk and more of an actual, gentle smile. "Oh, you. Do you know what kind of man creates his own Warden?"

I blinked. "One who fears the dark," I whispered. "You're not here to keep darkness out. You're here to keep it _in_."

Other-Me smiled. "This is odd, but ... call me the Guarding Dark. Imagine how strong I must be. And now, get out of town."**

I woke up in my bed, wondering when the hell did my id start quoting Pratchett.

* * *

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***Random hotel name I picked out. Don't ask.**   
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****A quote picked up from Discworld. I think the book was called Thud!**   
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* * *

Okay, so I found myself in my bed after a discussion with people I had never met before prior to this, then found myself with a rather one-sided conversation with a supposedly dead Pharaoh whom Cowl is looking to summon. After which, I found myself meeting my supposedly evil, _Discworld_ -quoting id dressed as a Warden.

I need coffee.

I stumbled out of bed, into my bathroom to freshen up, spent a bit more time under the cold shower convincing myself that it's all a dream, stumbled into the alcove for more coffee, and found my apprentice by the tiny table I kept for meals, setting out breakfast. A healthy breakfast. Complete with orange juice.

"I hate you," I grumbled as I plonked down. Molly still hasn't exited the healthy-eating phase yet. My apprentice is convinced that I need to eat healthier. The fact that she was this chipper in -I glanced at the clock, eight?- was testament that she needed more grumpy as a wizard.

"We've been over this, Obi-wan," Molly replied. "Even Mom says you need more fibre."

"Hey," I protested after downing half the orange juice. "I lived for ten years without this ..." I motioned to the orange stuff. "...drink. I think I can safely live till my hundred years or so."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Do I need to ask Mom to set you straight again?"

I shuddered. "Stars, no."

"Matthew's ecstatic," the grasshopper continued. "He got a signed card from his idol."

I stopped lamenting the lack of coffee. "The card that had a literal guardian angel leap out of it?"

She frowned. "Wasn't that a hologram?"

I sighed. This was going to take a while.

* * *

"So..." Molly contemplated when I had finished explaining. "There's an actual Dark Magician around?"

I stared at her. "Molly, I've just told you that there's an actual magic card game and monsters from said card game are running about, so we have to get that card away from Matthew before the card tries anything, and all you can focus on is whether there's a game character about?"

She shrugged. "We've spent a night with the card in the house, and it didn't try anything. Plus, it saved us. If it was going to do anything, it would have tried last night, right?"

I thought about it. "Okay, grasshopper, you have a point there. Anyway, we have a kid to find. And we start like how all detectives do."

Molly looked at me. "How?"

I smirked. "We ask questions."

* * *

"The second round of the semi-finals … why are they so damn early?" Marik, decked out in typical cargoes, black sleeveless shirt with a hoodie, black combat boots and enough jewellery to sink a cruise-liner cursed as he followed a yawning Jounochi in similar khaki cargoes, black shirt, sneakers and dog-tags to the convention centre.

"Mainly to get the thing out of the way before the actual main duel later," an exhausted Mai in her mostly purple Duel attire, complete with fingerless gloves, followed behind. "And because people get suspicious if we're seen like this just one day after the _Bladefly_ swarm."

"How did it go?" Marik asked, rubbing his back. Mai had forgiven him -mostly- but the appearance of the other Marik might soon change her mind … he shrugged of the impending headache.

"They were banished, but if we don't get Yuugi back, we can expect Chicago to become Monster Central on Halloween," Mai solemnly replied as they neared the temporary arena. "Something about how the barriers between worlds make it a lot more easier for Duel Monsters to appear, and combined with Yuugi's presence... you know, I've been hanging around Yuugi for too long."

Marik shuddered at the thought.

"So, Mai," Jounochi changed the subject. "Got any idea how's Diana?"

"Pretty good," Mai acknowledged. "But I don't know about going against Kaiba, really."

"Might as well see," Marik snorted.

"Mai, you're late," Diana reproached the Harpie Duellist as the trio approached.

" _Bladefly_ swarm," Mai replied. "You look good, by the way."

Diana nodded. She was dressed in her trademark black halter-top with hip-hugging jeans, tied with several steel-studded belts which included the deck holster. Her feet were graced with black low-heeled boots, and around her neck hung a black jewel on a string of red beads.

Marik abruptly stiffened. "Is that a real _Black Pendant_?"

"It's practice," Diana replied. "I was told to manifest this for as long as possible."

"Oh yeah," Jounochi replied, recalling his own training after the first accidental summon. "But right here, right now? What's Kaiba thinking?"

"Probably expecting another attack," Diana replied. "He put Anderson in the VIP booth, and he thinks that someone's coming to kill Anderson. So I'm supposed to wear this until the opponent does attack. We'll be waiting while he does."

"Enough," the Kaiba brothers walked in, Mokuba standing in the referee zone while Seto Kaiba himself, this time in the purple brass-studded sleeveless trench coat, stood opposite Diana. "Let's start."

Almost simultaneously, the DuelDisksTM unfolded and the wings attached to form the plate, which then shifted out towards the left.

Both Duellists drew a six-card hand.

"Duel!"

Kaiba: LP 4000

Diana: LP 4000

"You know," Marik stated. "It doesn't matter who goes first, both are equally cold."

Mai giggled slightly. "I might agree with you there."

"Ladies first," Diana flashed Kaiba a grin. "Draw. I summon _Queen's Knight_ (1500/1600) in Attack position."

The red-clad female blonde warrior appeared in a flash of sparks.

"I then set two face-down cards, and I end my turn."

"Draw," Kaiba stated flatly, eye twitching. "I summon _Blood Vorse_ (1900/1200) in attack position." The monstrous beast-warrior holding two-bladed knives appeared. "Attack _Queen's Knight_!"

"Activate _Ordeal of a Traveller_!" Diana called as the Trap Card lifted. A giant sphinx, complete with fake beard and head-dress and solemn expression appeared behind, glaring at the Blood Vorse. She held out the four cards in her hand. "You know what to do."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "The card on your right, it's a Spell."

Diana's eyes narrowed. "No cigar," she revealed _Crusader of Endymion._ "Shoo."

The _Blood Vorse_ howled as the sphinx blew it back to Kaiba's hand. Kaiba's eyes continued narrowing as he removed the card. "I set two cards and I end my turn." the two cards appeared on the field.

"Draw," Diana stated. "I summon _King's Knight_ (1600/1400) in attack mode, which allows me to Special Summon _Jack's Knight_ (1900/1000) from my deck."

The yellow- and blue-clad knights appeared. "Knowing you, those face-down cards mean something, so I'll just play _Magical Citadel of Endymion._ " The magical towers appeared, surrounding the field. "Then I activate the face-down card, _Card of Sanctity_. Each draw until we have six cards.*" They drew, and a light appeared on one of the towers. " _Queen's Knight_ , player direct attack! Majestic Slash!"

Kaiba winced as the hologram sword made contact.

Kaiba: LP 4000 → LP 2500

Diana: LP 4000

"Wake up before I win, Pres," Diana stated. " _King's Knight_ , player direct attack!"

" _Negate Attack!_ " Kaiba called. Said trap card appeared, stopping the yellow-clad knight in his tracks.

"I end my turn." Diana smirked. "Woken up yet?"

Kaiba snorted, cracking his neck. "I owe you. Draw. I play _Lord of Dragons_ (1200/1100)!"

Said monster clad in bone armour appeared. "And then I play _Flute of Summoning Dragon!_ " Another white light appeared on the tower, but was nearly missed at the great burst of light and two of the metallic-looking _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ s (3000/2500) appeared.

Diana blinked. "Waking him up is a really bad idea."

" _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ ," Kaiba commanded. "Attack _Queen's Knight_!"

" _Ordeal of a Traveller_ is a continuous trap, Pres," Diana reminded, holding out her five-card hand.

Kaiba's teeth grating could be heard from the three witnesses. "Middle card, Spell."

Diana smirked, revealing another _Crusader of Endymion._

Kaiba glared at the sphinx. "I hate you," he stated as one of the two Blue Eyes gave a final roar and was bounced back. "I end my turn."

"Draw," Diana's eyes narrowed. "I play _Polymerisation!_ I fuse _Queen's Knight, King's Knight_ and _Jack's Knight_ to summon _Arcana Knight Joker_! Knights, protect the Citadel!"

The three Knights' swords clinked as they raised their swords to the heavens and clashed. Amidst the clash, the three shattered into shards, like glass, and from the resulting sparks descended a tall, muscular black-clad armoured knight with a large broadsword, glaring at Kaiba. This was the strongest of the Poker Knights, _Arcana Knight Joker_ (3800/2500).

"Didn't she use a Spellcaster deck?" Jounochi muttered to Marik.

" _Last Day of Witch_ ," Marik replied. "Wouldn't put it past Kaiba to have that ready."

Comprehension dawned. "Oh."

* * *

We appeared at the convention centre in time to see a black-clad literal knight in gleaming if not shining armour appear, glaring at Kaiba, who seemed to match the glare, standing beside a dragon with metallic scales and claws and huge teeth.

Molly whistled. I breathed: "Wow."

"I just realised," Molly said. "If those are holograms, then why didn't the technology break down around us?"

I blinked. "I have two theories of that. The first is that somehow, those aren't holograms but foci to summon monsters."

Molly nodded. "And the second?"

"That the technology is being run by sheer will?" I hopefully suggested after a long while. "What?" I defensively replied at Molly's look.

"I wouldn't put it past Kaiba." Joey's voice rang out. I looked to see him standing with Marik and an attractive blonde woman beside the field. "Come on. We're about to see Kaiba get his ass kicked."

* * *

Kaiba: LP 2500, _Lord of D._ (1200/1100), _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_ (3000/2500)

Diana: LP 4000, _Arcana Knight Joker_ (3800/2500), _Magical Citadel of Endymion_ (Spell Counter: 3)

"Cute," Kaiba snorted. "And?"

"I think ... my Knight, attack the _Lord of Dragons_ (1200/1100)!" Diana announced as the knight leapt forward, ready to slash down.

"Like hell," Kaiba grunted. " _Mirror Wall!_ "

A wall of mirrors emerged from the ground, the knight cutting through its reflection first (3800/2500 → 1900/2500) before the warrior's sword cut through the bone armour easily, the Lord giving a final yell before he shattered. Kaiba grunted.

Kaiba: LP 2500 → LP 1800

Diana: LP 4000

Diana grimaced before her expression smoothed out to a poker face. "I end my turn."

Kaiba grimaced more. "I draw. Destroy _Mirror Wall_. I set a monster, and two face-down cards, and I end."

The wall of mirrors shattered on cue.

"Odd," Diana commented, drawing. "I play _Allure of Darkness_. I draw two cards, and remove from play a Dark monster. I summon _Crusader of Endymion_ (1900/1200) and set two face-down cards." the blue-clad Spellcaster and two cards appeared. "Arcana Knight Joker, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The tell-tale gleam of a Spell Counter was once again lost as the Arcana Knight attacked, the Blue Eyes roaring as the warrior bore down on it.

"Reveal Trap Card! _Attack Guidance Armour**_!" Kaiba called. "I choose your _Crusader of Endymion!_ " Said armour appeared on the confused-looking Crusader.

Diana's eyes widened. "Empty night. My Crusader!"

The Arcana Knight did an about-face and slashed at the Spellcaster, who gave a roar of pain before it shattered. Diana winced.

Kaiba: LP 1800

Diana: LP 4000 → LP 2100

Diana directed a look of loathing at him. "I end my turn."

Kaiba nodded, drawing. "I play _Ancient Rules_! I Special Summon my _Blue Eyes White Dragon_!"

A glimmer of light from the towers was lost once more as the second Blue Eyes White Dragon roared at its reappearance on the field.

"I then play _Heavy Storm_!" Kaiba announced as he placed the card.

Diana swore that real winds blew through as the holograms created a simulated storm as the Spell Card appeared. "Activate Trap Card, _Dark Bribe_! Destroy Heavy Storm!"

A man with an evil grinning expression dressed in traditional Edo-period attire carrying a scroll appeared, before wrapping the scroll about the Spell Card and disappearing with it. The winds died down.

"You can draw a card in exchange," Diana added.

Kaiba grunted, doing so. "I set a card and I end my turn."

Diana drew. "I play _Spell Power Grasp_ , which allows me to add one Spell Counter to my Magical Citadel. Of course, because of the Magical Citadel's own effect, it actually receives two Counters. I then play _Burial from a Different Dimension_!"

A grinning coffin appeared as she pulled a card from her jeans pocket and back into the Graveyard slot of the DuelDiskTM before fading from view. "I activate my monster's effect from the Graveyard, removing six Spell Counters from the Magical Citadel. Come forth, my Master Magician!"

A flash of purple light and a tall magician swathed in robes of night studded with gleaming purple jewels, holding a crescent-shaped staff descended on the field in a burst of sparks.

"When did that-?" Jounochi yelped.

" _Allure of Darkness_ ," Mai cut in. "She removed her own ace from play before she set it up with the Magical Citadel before getting it back and playing it."

"This means that I get back one Spell Card from the Graveyard, but no matter." Diana continued, unheeding of the blonde Duellist's commentary. "But no matter, for I activate the Master Magician's second effect: I discard the Spell Card I just got to destroy that face-down monster!"

The dragon roared as the magician's staff gleamed and sent a purple crescent of energy to destroy it. The silhouette of a _Sapphire Dragon***_ (1900/1600) screamed as it was consumed and it died.

"Arcana Knight Joker, take down the Blue Eyes!" Diana commanded.

The Arcana Knight half-smiled as he moved forward, slashing through the second Blue Eyes White Dragon with his sharp sword. Kaiba grimaced.

Kaiba: LP 1800 → LP 1000

Diana: LP 2100

Diana frowned. "I end my turn."

Kaiba actually broke out a smile. It was the kind of smile which said 'nice job, so I'll pull out the big guns on you'. "Draw," he drawled. "Hunter, you've merited the big guns."

Everyone in the know present paled. Diana's own eyes widened. "Oh boy..."

"My turn. I play _Card of Demise**_ , which allows me to draw five cards. I then place one card face-down before I play _Card Destruction_!"

Diana grimaced as she discarded her hand and drew another three cards. Her eyes widened in realisation. "No Spell cards..."

"I then play the face-down _Mystical Space Typhoon_ to destroy _Ordeal of a Traveller_ , before I play _Burst Stream of Destruction_ from my hand!" Kaiba continued, playing said card. "Destroy all your monsters!"

The great Blue Eyes opened its jaw to reveal a building electric ball which soon left and impacted upon the field. The Master Magician merely bowed its head as it shattered, whilst the Arcana Knight grimaced before taking its leave in a burst of shards.

"I tribute my _Blue Eyes White Dragon_ to summon _Emerald Dragon****_ (2400/1400)!" Blue-Eyes gave an answering roar as it burst into sparks, from which descended an iridescent green dragon with diamond edged on its legs.

"I then play _Dragon's Mirror_!" Kaiba ended. "I banish the three Blue Eyes in my Graveyard to summon my ultimate monster! Arise, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The lone green dragon on the field gave an answering roar as a great mirror, edged with yellow with the dragons motifs decorating it in profile, appeared on the field. There was not long before another beast slowly exited the semi-reflective surface. It had the metallic scales and claws and teeth of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but the Blue Eyes White Dragon did not have its sheer size that made its head reach the ceiling of the convention centre, its three heads raring in unison to battle, or the sheer presence that this legendary dragon amongst dragons of Duel Monsters legend gave.

The Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800) roared as it descended on the field.

If you dismissed Kaiba's dramatics, the sight would have been impressive.

"You have merited this," Kaiba stated, almost magnanimously, directing the great beast. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, player direct attack!"

Diana gulped as the three heads charged and blasted, enveloping her in a burst of light.

Kaiba: LP 1000

Diana: LP 0

* * *

"That's a Duel?" I asked them as the last of the white spots finished dancing out of my eyes. "That's pretty amazing, don't get me wrong, but..."

"I know. You should see it when Yuugi's around," Joey commented. "Then Kaiba really pulls out the big boys. For him, this is a pretty big effort already."

I looked at the two fading dragons. "So those are the dragons Murphy saw last night?" I swallowed. They looked pretty scary when the first appeared, and I think the real thing would be really fear-inspiring. No wonder Murphy looked on edge.

"Maybe," Joey replied. "Kaiba's got a lot of dragons, and right now we can summon more than usual."

"Now?" Molly chipped in.

Joey looked at me expectingly.

"My apprentice, Molly Carpenter," I introduced. "Molly, Katsuya Jounochi, also known as Joey Wheeler."

"Nice to meet you," Molly said to Joey. "So, about the summoning and the time?"

"Wha? Oh, normally we'd be pretty exhausted after summoning even one monster, having to push that energy out," Joey elaborated. "The only exception is around Halloween and around Yuugi, Ryou and Marik. Ryou had this theory on how the barriers between worlds thin around this time and makes it easier to summon, and in Yuugi's case … he's the inheritor, you know? Kaiba's a different story, he can summon any time he likes, if he gets pissed enough."

"That doesn't explain about the other two," I pointed out.

 _My partner and I were once part of the same soul ... Bakura and his partner, and Marik and the lunatic, share the same relationship, albeit to a less inter-dependent degree..._

"Ryou and Marik … they have it really bad," Joey sort of tried to explain. "Ryou's the inheritor of the thief king Bakura. You've met Bakura."

I winced. "Yeah, I have. And Marik..."

"You've met the lunatic," Marik cut in beside Joey. "He killed and skinned my father after taking over my body, and then he tried to kill the Pharaoh's vessel while running an international gang of criminals by the side." The delivery tone was monotonous, cold and indicated that the subject was not up for conversation.

I felt a pang of sympathy for the kid as I let the subject go.

"Ryou had it worse," Marik flatly continued. "His mother and twin sister died in a car crash, and his father essentially left him alone at home and gave him the ring which contained Bakura, who proceeded to seal the souls of anyone he approached into little lead figurines for Ryou's role-playing games. Yuugi faced bullies and abuse and loneliness before he solved the puzzle. We three are the same." He looked me in the eye. "We were once whole and practised the summoner's art like Kaiba. Now, we are the light to the darkness, those whose darkness abandoned us and left a horde of spirits around us."

I did not know how to answer before there was a crash.

* * *

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**Whee...**   
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**You know, for this Duel I actually sat down and planned out the whole thing with proxies, just in case Kaiba embarrassingly ran out of cards... I'm not going to for the next...**   
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***Animé effect.**   
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****Animé card.**   
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*****AKA Luster Dragon**   
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******AKA Luster Dragon #2**   
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	15. Gotterdammerung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Inserted because I felt like involving a bit of Norse action on the side, explore some family drama, and just have fun with a spanner in the works.** _

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**Inserted because I felt like involving a bit of Norse action on the side, explore some family drama, and just have fun with a spanner in the works.**   
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**Insert standard Creative Commons disclaimer here.**   
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* * *

**Chapter 15: Gotterdammerung**

"I'm late, late, late!" Ryou Bakura yelled as he rushed towards the convention centre. "Who on earth unplugged my alarm clock!"

 _You know, I'm not really sure that that thing does work after what I did last time..._

"What did you do, throw it into the toilet?" Ryou shot back as he hurriedly crossed the street.

 _American streets are really unsafe_ , he thought.

 _Like a car could stop you if you really tried, or if you let me..._

"Shove it, or better, go back to the Shadow Realm," Ryou snapped at the other Bakura. "I never asked for you."

 _But you asked to never be alone,_ Bakura's mocking voice sang, before abruptly turning serious. _We have watchers._

Ryou blinked before looking about him. And by the side of the convention centre …

There. A shadow twitched.

 _Veil,_ Bakura solemnly murmured in his mind. _Feels old, not as old as us, but … Old World old._

 _And how would you know?_ Ryou mentally snapped back.

 _It's amazing what you pick up in London. Londinium has some of the oldest magics on the face of the earth. This feel … four years ago in an old Westminster alleyway with some idiot bastard who thought you were a girl and he could sense the vir–_

 _Ack, shut up!_

A snort. _You're in your twenties, did you forget to date?_

More silence. _...You really did?_

Despite the nature of the conversation being more of a mental than physical one, Ryou blushed.

 _Did the bastard father of yours even sit down with you and get through the birds and the bees? Ra, I don't need this. Okay, excuse me while I decide how to give the talk … I'll need visual aids..._

 _Get out of my head and I'll ensure that you never need to,_ Ryou darkly replied as he watched the shadow twitch though his eyes told him that there was nothing physical there. He walked towards it and coughed lightly.

There was a shift of light and an especially hirsute far-removed cousin of the ape appeared, its eyes narrowing at the white-haired young man. The only thing that indicated any relation to humanity was the loincloth strung over its hips. Its yellow eyes narrowed upon consideration before baring especially large canines. "You."

"Do I want to know what you're doing here?" Ryou innocently –and neutrally– asked.

"A partnership with the necromancer named as Cowl," the Grendelkin replied, looking about. "Well, he says partnership. I say repayment for a favour. Otherwise why leave the Old World?"

"I see," Ryou nodded, not caring that he was conversing with a closer-than-human ancestry to the gorilla than normal. Duel Monsters tend to do that to people, and since Ryou shared an apartment with a portrait-ghost, a haunted candle and several creatures best left to the Addams Family manor, he would know better than most. "And in exact terms?"

"He seeks to take the boy of light tainted with shadows like yours," the yellow lamp-like eyes narrowed. "It is early, that is why I am here to tie up a loose end. I have only a small window of opportunity. Fear not for yourself, you drove the message in hard enough the last we met."

And then it disappeared. Ryou saw the faint shadows flicker further.

 _Let me take over._

 _I don't think–_ Ryou mentally began.

 _This was a long time ago, you never remembered it, or not yet, so you've never met the idiot rapist I re-educated on how to spot a girl. Now, before he realises that you're not the guy who sicced Dark Necrofia on him, move!_

… _I still don't trust you._

 _I returned your body last time, didn't I?_

 _This might all be an elaborate plot. I don't put it past you._

 _Well, suck it up and trust me. Draw on that inner light of yours and consider if I'm lying._

… _I hate you._

And then there was a shift, and Ryou's soft features morphed into Bakura's sharp ones, green giving way to russet, baby fat to lean cheekbones, round eyes into sharp, harsh ones.

Bakura gave a nasty look to the shifting shadows. "When I find you," the rough voice sounded as the Thief King began to walk quickly, not exactly dashing. "You will wish that I never saw you."

* * *

Molly reacted immediately towards the source of the crash, which turned out to be a dustbin. However, by dint of long practice, experience or just hanging around me for too long, she did not immediately relax her guard. I saw her blink rapidly, before she screamed. "Harry, there's a veil!"

I closed my eyes and immediately opened my own Sight. The convention hall immediately appeared to me in all the bright colours of the spectrum, traces of it meandering here and there. Where the Duel stage was danced an incredible stream of bright yellow light like a flare from the sun itself, the ashes floating about it showing the remains of a clash of energies. I stored the news that a so-called Duel could produce that energy on a spiritual plane away for future investigation and focused further. There, by the stairways leading up to the VIP rooms, under a cloak of subtly shimmering colours and surrounded by more shimmers of blue-green, stood …

I swallowed and yelled, closing the Third Eye. "Crap! Anderson–"

Either a fast reaction time after receiving news of an improbable nature was in a Duellist's general make-up or these people had been in weird shit themselves, I didn't know, but Marik pulled a knife and threw it where I was looking a few seconds ago. The rest of the Duellists drew cards out while the long black-haired girl leapt down from the platform and headed straight for me. The knife flew and bounced off something of an invisible nature, but it did the trick as the veil shimmered before winking out altogether to reveal an incredibly hirsute man with a definite close ancestry to the gorilla the likes of which I had only seen once before.

The long-haired brunette grabbed me and hauled me back, and I momentarily reflected that the lady was way stronger than she looked before three ladies clad in bodysuits with green-feathered wings appeared and surrounded the Grendelkin.

It was lucky the convention hadn't officially opened yet because someone would definitely have noticed the Grendelkin's simian bellow. "Go! I'll hold them, get the mortal!"

Several more veiled beings, these ones shorter, moved past at supernatural speed. The Grendelkin charged at me and the brunette, the green-feathered lady-creatures scattering in its wake. I heard the blonde lady give a cry of pain.

Whether or not we were clearly thinking, the scion of Grendel clearly made its aim of scattering us, before its veil dropped over it again.

"It's … running?" Molly sounded confused.

"It won't get far," Seto Kaiba grunted, putting away a card into his trench coat. I really didn't want to know what that card was. "I called in a favour. They'll stop him. What was that, anyway?"

"Grendelkin," I replied.

Kaiba looked disturbed. "Beowulf?"

"Close," I replied, still shaking off the after-effects of adrenaline. "It's here to either kill or capture Anderson."

"With _faeries?_ " Kaiba actually snorted. "Steel-framed locked door."

There was a crash and a tinkle of broken glass.

"Window," I replied, my staff at the ready and already dashing towards the stairs, Molly following on my tail.

Compared to the tower-staircase of Arctis Tor, the flimsy stairs of the convention hall were pitifully quick. Molly and I made it to the still-locked door, the window beside it painfully empty of glass. Kaiba soon came up and unlocked the door to reveal a more-or-less ransacked waiting room, overturned leather furniture, and the sense of snow and a drastically lowered temperature hanging about.

Winterfae. I looked at my apprentice, who, if her expression was anything to go by, had already reached the same conclusion. "Stars and stones," I muttered. "Our lead's gone."

"Not really," Kaiba snorted. "I know Anderson's type. He's more terrified of what the other side would do to him than of us and he already told me everything as far as he knows, which is pitifully little, except that the idea to kidnap Yuugi was his idea."

I rounded on him. "And you know this because–?" I prompted.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "He just spilled the beans last night, Mr Dresden. I handed him to Marcone for a while, and Mr Marcone had a few words to say to someone who would kidnap someone like Yuugi Mutou."

Come to think of it, the local Don had an iron-clad rule of 'no kids'. Drug pushing, prostitution, racketeering, all fine with him, as long as no kids got hurt. But this was a twenty-something young man, not a kid–

"I didn't tell him Mutou's age," Kaiba added.

Smart. If I didn't know it, I would have thought that the kid in the photograph was thirteen years old. The kid was a walking advertisement for clean living if there ever was one.

"Hold it. You _lied_ to a Mafia boss?" I realised.

"Not really," Kaiba replied. "I just showed him a photo of Mutou, his lady bodyguard filled in the rest and recommended a course of action."

"Yes, it would seem that way," Marcone's smooth voice followed behind. I turned around to see the Don of Chicago standing behind us on the somewhat rickety steel stairs, Cujo Hendricks right below and behind him. "Mr Kaiba interrupted my nine o' clock engagement directly after sending you and Sergeant Murphy back to your living spaces to interrogate Mr Anderson as to Yuugi Mutou's whereabouts. Ms. Gard was extremely insistent that Mr Anderson tell us where he was. It would seem that whoever he was working with made a point to be-spell Mr Anderson not to reveal anything more."

I blinked. "Where's Gard?"

Marcone blinked for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Ms. Gard is currently on her half-day off, dealing with the mortal enemy of the Geat, I believe is what she said. It is, after all, her priority over my contract with Monoc and as our interests seemed to cross..." he shrugged.

I blinked. "In _broad daylight?_ "

"I believe she mentioned about Undertown," Marcone smoothly replied. "However, we should carry our discussion in some other place." His money-green eyes strayed towards his right, where the convention entrance was. "I do believe that this is not the best thing to discuss in public, especially this close to the opening."

"You," I said. "You thought I was a tourist attraction. I have half a mind to visit your office and fry your computer for this."

"While it would be very inconvenient for me, Mr Dresden," Marcone, the bastard, replied, almost half-smiling, "I would hardly lose anything truly essential. I _have_ been investing in online data banks ever since I met you, after all."

* * *

"Odd's bodkin," Gard murmured as the hated enemy made straight for the entrance to Undertown. Although most Grendelkin would stand and fight, it appeared that here was one of the older ones; capable of retreating to fight another day. Cowards they may be, but they did know how to pick a time and place. And it appeared that this one would make it to live another hated day and probably retreat to the Old World once more, Gard cursed.

Or at least, it did, if a straight sword did not materialise out of thin air and slice into the hirsute man-beast's head side. The scion of Grendel moaned before it toppled through the entrance hidden by time and brick walls and land development and Chicago itself, so close yet so far from sanctuary. Gard whirled to face another like her, but clad in riding armour and winged helmet, long blue hair wreathing a face many an edda had been written on, sharp eyes sparkling. "Coward!" the azure-haired chooser called into echoing shadows. "Stand and fight!"

Sigrun, for her near-millennial lifetime, was shocked to say the least. "How could it be that you have left the halls of Hel, sister?"

The blue-haired chooser looked away as she fingered at her azure locks. "It is a long saga, sister."

Sigrun solemnly nodded. "The hair is not a common choice."

The other laughed. "Young Chooser, I have descended to the halls of Hel already. The goddess traded us in a game and we sought sanctuary. Child, whoever said that we chose for this?" the blue-haired chooser's eyes was sad. "It is cold there; warriors who died in their sleep shiver in the gloomy recesses of the halls, as the goddess herself sleeps in her dismal shadows. Soon, we fade either back within the nine worlds bound to the world tree or within the shadows themselves. We are but shades of what we truly were until we chose to stand on another's side, when we were saved. It is no longer one lord we serve, child-sister, but two different lords. Three others and I wear this hair to show that we have faded into half-truths and myths of fiction, near-forgotten by those we have once fought by side by side."

"And yet you are here," Sigrun pointed out, hiding her battle-axe behind her.

"Not for long," the blue-haired Valkyrie's eyes wandered. "The little master, he is crying within. We were tasked to search for him, when I was called by the priest to delay the hated enemy who has stolen the Pharaoh's light. We must cut this short, child-sister, for I too have a task at hand. I only hope that the next time we meet, it would be on more charitable terms than what time has given us now."

"Sister Brunhilde," Sigrun murmured before the Brunhilde of many a myth left. "Why? The oblivion of an end must be preferable to what you do now."

The blue-haired personification turned and half-smiled. "We are free now," came the reply before the figure jumped onto a white horse tethered nearby. "An epilogue, though peaceful, is never as satisfying as the middle of the sagas. Good tidings, Sigrun, Chooser of the Slain, Aider of Men and All Their Faring."

"Good tidings, Brunhilde, formerly Chooser of the Slain, once the oldest shield-maiden of the Great Hall." Sigrun returned before both sister Valkyries turned and left.

* * *

 _  
**Okay, I confess that I was researching on probable Archetypes to introduce here when the little titbit about Valkyries inspired me. I don't count 'Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant' to have any relation to the battle-hardened Sigrun, and the other Nordic Archetypes didn't really have a common meeting ground for Valkyries to interact. I thus chose the animé-only Valkyrie archetype used by Siegfried von Schroeder (see Chapter 7) since Sigrun would obviously know the Ring of Nibelung and its characters and would have a rapport with those Valkyries. It also helps that the Valkyries deal primarily with dragons and warriors and hold swords.**   
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	16. Preparation of Rites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Meant mostly as a stress-buster chapter. Thomas appears here, so for all our fans in the White Court, please enjoy.** _

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**Meant mostly as a stress-buster chapter. Thomas appears here, so for all our fans in the White Court, please enjoy.**   
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**Review, please.**   
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**Enjoy.**   
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**Insert standard disclaimer the author is too lazy to type out fully here.**   
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* * *

**Chapter 16: Preparation of Rites**

"Okay," Kaiba began to the assembled. "As much as we'd like to drop everything and find Mutou, we have to keep up appearances. People get suspicious if no famous Duellists turn up to a KaibaCorp convention with me around."

"Hate to say it, but he's right," Marik muttered, still watching the wizard and the Mafia don –it still proved difficult to wrap his head around the idea– eye Kaiba's mysteriously bulletproof metal briefcase containing who-knows-what like it was a danger.

"Therefore, it means that at least two of you will have to go out there and put on a show, if just to keep up the act and look out for anything suspicious." Kaiba continued, unheeding of Marik's comments.

"Er," Jounochi asked. "Wouldn't that be kinda difficult?"

"I don't expect you to keep an eye out, I expect your partner to," Kaiba bitingly replied. "This also means that no one suspicious, visible or otherwise, gets to hear what I'm planning."

It was Diana who asked the question on the forefront of everyone's minds. "Then what will you do?"

Kaiba smirked. It was the kind of smirk that gave his business rivals nightmares and earned the nickname of 'the dragon's grin' from a particularly inventive online article because, as the site reasoned, only a dragon would look at you like that before eating you. Kaiba had donated a healthy sum to that site that month. "I'll be planning a storm, as well as KaibaCorp's business in North America for the next year."

The Duellists all sighed at Kaiba's business instincts. The man was a businessman first and foremost, even after all the trouble. In a way, it was almost a relief that some things didn't change.

* * *

"In the ten years you've been in this city, Mr Dresden, I have faced a lot of things initially thought as improbable," Marcone finally stated once we had finished pseudo-interrogating each other on the situation. "An invasion of monsters from a trading card game only brings up the question of if there was something more to the game, or if its very nature attracted all the … people on the fringes."

"You mean whether or not the game is so geeky it attracts all the freaks of nature," I dumbed it down for a lost-looking Molly. Hendricks had posted himself outside at Marcone's request, ostensibly to act as the linebacker guard dog. "Seriously, speaking American won't kill you."

"That, Mr Dresden, remains to be seen, since your general conversation tends to lead to your life expectancy dropping exponentially," Marcone smoothly replied. "Nevertheless, it seems that for once the battle lines have drawn themselves such that we are on the same side, so we should focus. That way, we could probably save the city from more incursion from these beings."

"So," I stated, leaning over the coffee table to stare into Marcone's green eyes. The head of the Chicago Outfit was one of the few people on the face of the planet I could do that to. "What's your stake in all this?"

"What it was the last time," Marcone reasonably replied. "A vested interest not to have a god tearing up the real estate."

"Yeah, bad for business," I snarked. "Really. What's _your_ stake? Because I haven't heard that this ritual would cost anything." My senses started prickling once those words left my mouth, if not from the effects of Murphy's Law coming to bite me in the ass then from the utter sense of panic mounting itself in my head. Rituals to summon the badass of the supernatural world were never pretty.

"The preparation, no, according to Ms Gard," Marcone solemnly replied. "The price, however, is too steep."

I swallowed. "Does Gard know the price?"

Marcone inclined his head in assent. "Chicago."

I blinked. "Back up there. _What?_ "

"Ms Gard admits that while such an event is unprecedented, her sources indicate that the arrival of such a spirit may as well tear a permanent hole into the Nevernever from the ritual site, as were her exact words." Marcone elaborated. "The exact meaning I may not know, but I can guess at the idea. And before hat, there is the general cost of summoning such a being in the first place. Ms Gard is of the idea that Yuugi Mutou would be the one sacrifice needed to open the door."

Molly looked at me. "I don't get it."

"They kill the boy, the ritual's held here, whatever-it-is comes through, big hole in Nevernever to Chicago, things from Nevernever get big entrance to Chicago," I helpfully explained. At her expression, I think the grasshopper got the idea. "Yep, I think it's safe to say that we're on the same side for– hell's bells, will you stop _that_!"

Purple smoke had billowed out before us again as another figure materialised on the coffee table. Standing easily at six feet, the figure's head brushed the ceiling as it straightened itself and murmured: "It seems to be the correct place..." When the smoke cleared, an aristocratic-looking blue-skinned, pointy-eared, white-haired man dressed in brown-black shoulder armour with a red cloak sweeping out from underneath said armour was revealed, a placid expression on its face.

To give my apprentice credit, she didn't panic but instead levelled an ivory wand at it, the carved runes on it already glowing a bright white-red. Marcone went one step further and clapped the business end of a lethal-looking large-calibre, outfitted with a real silencer, to its skull, along with a switch-blade knife to its throat. The figure blinked before it made a motion with its hands. Molly's wand and Marcone's weapons immediately moved to level themselves at each other, both holders' eyes clearly wide with surprise.

"Report," Seto Kaiba drawled, trawling in at the door and successfully disrupting my focus from getting my blasting rod.

Behind him, I heard Hendricks choke. "Boss–?"

"The middle of the city has been cleared," the figure's voice was cultured, aristocratic and more-or-less respectful. The expressions levelled at the Don and the apprentice wizard I can hardly fault him. "All that is left is the bay-side and what the mortals call Soldier's Field, if the Black Magician Girl is to be trusted. The Magician's Valkyria informed me that they were rather … intoxicated at the local tavern."

Kaiba nodded. "You can let go of the two now."

The blue-skinned man looked at the two frozen before he shook his head and disappeared in more purple smoke, this one with only a tang of graveyard dirt hanging around where the figure once stood.

Marcone found his voice first as the light from Molly's wand slowly died, its wielder no longer pouring magic and will into the focus. "What was that?"

"Duel Monster," Kaiba broke in. " _Patrician of Darkness_ , to be exact. Special ability to choose its opponent's attack target. I designated this place as a safe zone and I was standing in the vicinity, that was why they appeared here. Otherwise they couldn't scrounge up enough energy to even take on a physical form."

"How useful," Marcone dryly stated, packing away the weapons. Where does he put that? "Both its ability and its corporeal state."

"It reminds me of you," I remarked. "You can't stop an assault, but you can certainly point it how you want it."

Marcone's eye twitched. "I do not know if that was a compliment or an insult, thus I shall reserve judgement till then."

"Yeah," I replied. "You do that."

* * *

"So what now?" Molly asked me as we wandered amongst the crowd. The convention seemed a lot like the usual entertainment-oriented conventions; people skipping the boring pretence and having fun, milling about, watching the odd costumes –some of which made Molly's Frankenhooker look seem positively tame– around, looking at the stalls selling various merchandise, a large part of which seemed to be games, cards and, in some cases, actual costumes. Much against the wishes of this master, my apprentice actually bought the Black Magician six-foot-nine costume, complete with collapsible staff.

"It looks good on you," she shot back when I raised this question. "Think of it like your birthday present. You can even wear it on the day itself. And Dad says he'll be taking the whole family trick-or-treating as part of the church programme, so of course we need to match!"

"Back up there," I immediately replied. "So what does that," I pointed to the bag in which the purple armoured robe-armour set was in, "have to do with the skimpy get-up I saw you in yesterday?"

Behind us, Joey laughed as the blonde lady from before giggled. "The Black– no, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are master and apprentice."

I blinked. "That guy has an apprentice named Dark Magician Girl?"

"He also has a fantastic sense of humour when he's not running on no sleep, one egg roll and no coffee," Joey replied, all chipper. "The apprentice's named Mana, and normally, in all the times I see them, it's like a matched set. In a Duel with Yuugi, you hardly see the Black Magician without his apprentice ever since Yuugi got that card."

I goggled at the pair. "So why do I have to wear the stupid thing?" I complained. I did not whine, no matter what anyone said. My dog, Mouse, would have disagreed, but my dog had mysteriously disappeared somewhere ever since I woke up.

Come to think of it, my pets had disappeared ever since I woke up today. Just goes to show that my pets have more common sense than me.

"Er..." Joey stared, I followed his line of sight towards the entrance of the convention centre until I saw what could easily be a combination of a St Bernard's dog and a draft horse, wagging its grey tail in my direction. The people stationed at the entrance gave it uneasy looks. What was more amazing was the brown ball of fur bouncing around it. "I don't recognise that Duel Monster."

" _Mouse_?" I registered, incredulous. My dog barked, a heavy deep sound that sent a few convention-goers scattering as the St Bernard's horse shuffled forward. I reached down and scratched behind his ears for a moment, which he allowed before licking my face. "How d'you get here?"

"You name your dog Mouse?" Mai Kujaku, as the blonde lady was called said, incredulous. "Seriously? It doesn't look like one. That's a _huge_ dog."

The brown ball of fur bounced forward. The brown ball turned violet googly eyes at me and blinked, before landing to two green-furred rear paws before extending green-furred forepaws at us. " _Kuri!_ "

"Sir," one of the counter people came over. Probably administrative, if not security personnel. "I'm sorry, but pets are not allowed into the convention hall."

"He's not a pet," Joey leapt in before I could reply. "He's a tracking dog we got to track Yuugi. Of course, I'm sure Mr Kaiba will be very understanding when he finds out that we were late in finding the Duel Monsters world champion in time for the finals because the dog wasn't allowed in."

Judging from the man's fast change of expression and immediate loss of colour, Kaiba definitely commanded more than a bit of fear in his employees. "Oh, it's no problem, s-sir," the man tripped over the last word, backing off. "We understand if Mr Kaiba needs the dog, sir."

I shook my head as we wandered back in with Mouse and the brown fur-ball Molly was now cooing over at Joey's encouragement. "Never thought you'd do that."

He snorted. "You learn something after a few years. Throwing Kaiba's name with an implied threat behind to Kaiba's employees often sends them scurrying for cover. Apparently Kaiba chews people out a bit."

"You think?" a familiar voice sounded behind me. I froze, and slowly turned around to see my half-brother standing there.

"Thomas?" I was stupefied.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?" Thomas cut to the chase, looking around, incessantly paranoid in such crowded surroundings though he didn't show it to someone not looking for it. Even paranoid as he was he still looked like a model for _GQ._ Several passers-by of mostly female, with the occasional male, gave him appreciative looks as they passed.

I blinked. "Sure. Molly?"

"We're good," she grinned, running her eyes over to Joey. I did not like her expression. It reminded me too much of the possible ramifications, including one pissed Charity Carpenter.

Thomas took a look at me, possibly reading my expression, because he rolled his eyes. "Relax, the blonde kid's protected."

One thing about being a vampire that feeds on human life force via the emotion of lust is that to those like Thomas, is that true, honest, selfless love is their anathema. It also means that if really obvious, they can sense it from miles away. So, Joey was in love with someone else, and thus I could trust him with my apprentice. Sort of. I relaxed marginally. "So, what's it about?"

"Been getting jitters," Thomas informed me. "Had a feeling in LA that a storm's brewing. Not just me, too. I put some feelers out, and every nasty on the East Coast is feeling it. Even Lara's been getting nightmares."

"And?" I prompted. "So you dropped off the radar for slightly less than a year and came back just because your big sister's been getting nightmares?"

Thomas rolled his eyes. "When things get so bad that you can sense it from the _opposite_ coast, it's usually something to do with you, Harry. No offence, but the moment I touched down, I headed for your apartment, actually had to feed Mister and Mouse, and once they were done Mister and Mouse actually pulled a tag-team to drag me to this ..." he waved his hand about, "for some reason. Mouse I can get, but _Mister_ is doing it. Your thirty-pound cat, whom I know from experience has never worked in its life, is pushing my ass into gear. They're acting creepy, it's not … normal, that. Not normal even for your anarchy-gasms."

A grim-reaper like figure drifted past us. We both blinked.

"So?" Thomas started. And then he refocused. "Isn't this a technology convention?"

I sighed. "Not the point here. We have monsters which may or may not be from a card game running about. This," pulled out the _Insect Queen_ card from my pocket, "jumped me two days ago. And then the Gatekeeper's in Chicago and may or may not be heading here right now, and we have a missing kid who may or may not be the key to all this."

My half-vampire older half-brother blinked. "Sounds pretty normal. So what's going to explain the chills?"

I rolled my eyes. "Let's take a walkabout while I fill you in. It seems safer that way, and it's not like anything's too far-fetched here."

A little distance away from us, a _thing_ resembling a cyborg I had only seen once in a sci-fi movie at the local drive-through appeared, shimmering into existence.

"True," Thomas replied dryly.

* * *

"Is this normal?" Marcone remarked as the red blast of supposedly-holographic energy narrowly missed impacting on his head by an inch. Somewhere within the milling throngs was the local madman wizard and his apprentice, so he had all the weapons on his person on hand just in case, because getting caught off-guard during Harry Dresden's patented anarchy-gasms was not fun at all. The wizard did start an unprecedented war between wizards and vampires after all.

"Depends," Kaiba grunted, watching Marik finish up against Ryou, both down to the three-digit life points. Even he could admit that they had improved – marginally,but still visible – and that they were clearly at a stalemate. "Normal is when that blast doesn't produce wind as it rushes past you and it only stings upon impact."

"And you want to set machines like this up in Michigan?" The Don sounded intrigued.

"The majority of weird stuff to do with Duel Monsters happens back home, not by the Great Lakes," Kaiba remarked. "It'll be nice to come to an amusement park to play a game that doesn't have a life on it as the stake, and the only way I can ever do that is make sure that at least one large body of water stands between the proposed park and Mutou."

"I hear Hawaii has agreeable weather," Marcone remarked.

Kaiba snorted, getting the implied question. "There's also apparently a volcano goddess with a grudge."

Marcone raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes and no. Hawaii's not a popular location for Duellists," Kaiba shook his head. "Reminds them too much of the Duellist Kingdom tournament."

Even Marcone had heard the disturbing rumours that surrounded the card game tournament held by Maximilian Pegasus – who was currently in a exhibition tag-team Duel with Diana Hunter against Bakura Ryou and Marik Ishtar– and the actual injuries sustained then. It was part of the reason he'd been so reluctant to invest in Industrial Illusions. "So those are the only reasons why you wish to build an amusement park here?"

"I remove from play three fiends from my Graveyard to summon _Dark Necrofia_!" Bakura's voice, which had become a shade rougher, echoed as a truly horrifying blue-skinned woman with a broken doll in her arms appeared, the teeth of the doll chattering. Several passers-by screamed.

"That and introduce the majority of the American population to the wonders of holograms, occasionally magical and occasionally not," Kaiba dryly replied. "With a profit at the side."

Two businessmen looked at each other and, without a word, came to an agreement.

* * *

Ryou was still beside himself at his slip-up. How did the thief gain control of his vocal cords to begin with and use them to summon Dark Necrofia? It must have worked somewhat for Pegasus immediately dropped his cards at the terror-inducing monster.

A few sparks flew and the holograms looked puzzled as they fizzled for a bit, before fizzing out of existence.

Three pairs of knowing eyes turned towards a real wizard who was sheepishly looking away while trying to shift away from the hologram machines, which was belching sparks, possibly in the hope of Kaiba not seeing them. He seemed to sigh, his expression clearly saying: _Knew it couldn't last._

* * *

"You are hardly worth the favours I called in to secure you," the cloaked figure sighed. A terrified Anderson cowered before him. "Regrettably, you have proved yourself not worth the initial investment of such an effort."

"Mas-master," the terrified businessman stuttered. "There are only three more days…"

"Too long, fool," the cloaked figure slowly shook its head. "Look already, the shadows darken and dance in what little light there is. They approach, fool."

"But, Master..."

"It is time for the preparation of rites, my apprentice," the cloaked figure spoke to another behind him. "I believe that he will do nicely."

The last that Carson Anderson ever saw in his life was the glimmer of a knife.

* * *

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**I'm going to try for some Nevernever Dresdensque action before I wrap it all up. Don't worry, there's a few surprises in wait.**   
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**I hope Cowl isn't OOC here...**   
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	17. Gateway to Dark World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Excellent...** _

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**Excellent...**   
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* * *

**Chapter 17: Gateway to Dark World**

"It's that time of year again, isn't it?" Lieutenant Stallings of Chicago PD Special Investigations muttered as the car he was riding shotgun on swerved left.

Sergeant Karrin Murphy of the Chicago Police Department gave an unladylike snort as they continued towards the new crime scene. "What gave that away?"

"Weird bodies in the morgue," _Ghouls,_ her mind helpfully filled in the blanks. "One decapitated, one tortured," _Done by the two weird guys with Harry._ "Monster sightings," _From a trading card game, of all things..._ "And it's close to Halloween. It's not an average Halloween for the city, that's for sure."

Murphy considered it for a moment as they drove through the university district in search of the next corner–

A wolf with purely silver fur made a running jump towards her and bounded neatly on the hood of her car before running over her car at such fast speeds it was nothing more than a blur. Both police officers blinked and decided to deny it.

All things considered, when one matched the anarchy of now with the necromancy smack-down involving several human zombies, one Tyrannosaurus Rex zombie, several thunderstorms used as fuel for a ritual to dig people's hearts out, and more general bloody mayhem, Murphy almost preferred this Halloween. At least no one had died … _yet._

Knowing Dresden's luck, she'd just jinxed it.

Several cars hooted as an extremely familiar police car with eyes in place of headlights tore up asphalt as it zoomed past them.

They blinked further. "Dresden?" Stallings asked.

"Dresden," she confirmed.

"Interesting paint job," Stallings remarked, unperturbed. Probably since compared to most Dresdensque cases, this was nothing _too_ different. "New York, maybe."

One floating dark castle, one mythical dragon, and a pair of girls, blonde and brunette with staves around MacAnally's as they approached Lake Shore Drive, Murphy resolved to place any and all blame on KaibaCorp's holograms than realise that there were odd and potentially dangerous objects /people /monsters /whatever around. It was easier that way.

* * *

The sun was setting over Chicago when Marcone presented his findings with Gard's help. Marik had left to contact his family back in Egypt, while Ryou had gone … who knows where.

"By the postulates of Mr Vadderung himself," Marcone began, "We can say that Yuugi Mutou could be held on either here," he stabbed towards the Field Museum of Natural History, "here," towards the Shedd Aquarium, "or here." towards another building by the Illinois Institute of Technology, actually right in the campus itself. "Unfortunately, he claims that due to some clause within our contract, he can give nothing to narrow it down."

"Gods are like that," I said, as Mouse curled around my legs. "Well-meaning but vague, occasionally to the point of irritation."

"Card game monsters," Thomas scoffed. "Now I've seen everything."

"The ritual will be held at the Field Museum," Gard automatically pointed out. "Many relics of the old god-kings reside there now."

"Makes sense." Molly mused. "Loads of old Ancient Egyptian artefacts brimming with residual power."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "Get to the point. Please," he added as an afterthought.

"We know where they're going to hold the ritual," I elaborated. "However, unless the security staff's all in Cowl's pocket, someone's bound to notice if there's a kid being held hostage there. And remodelling in a museum's going to be noticed, so they couldn't have built a circle there anyway."

Molly nodded in comprehension. I looked askance at the shopping bag at her feet, wondering if I could discreetly set the thing on fire before I absolutely had to wear it. I'm a wizard, but I still have dignity.

"You know, I'm thinking in terms of possibilities," Thomas volunteered. "I think that the last place we expect to find them would be where they are."

"And no one in the know would think that wizards would be anywhere near a university specialising in science and technology and whatnot," I slowly caught on.

"Carson Anderson contributed quite a large sum to the Illinois Institute of Technology just a fortnight ago," Marcone offered.

"So he's most probably at the Institute," I pondered. "But, I have a question." I turned to Gard. "Why are you so certain that the ritual would be held at the Museum?"

Gard actually flinched. "I cannot explain it. Call it what you will; instinct, foresight, gut feeling. It is a pressure that places great stress on the nerves, and gets stronger each time I look to the Museum."

"I think I know," we all swivelled to see a panting Marik leaning on the doorway. "I just called my sister. "There's a tablet dating back to the New Kingdom, in display at the Field Museum of Natural History starting tomorrow."

"And?" Joey stated, his voice laced with trepidation aplenty.

"It's the one with the dragon on it." Marik reluctantly imparted. "You know."

I must have missed some inside joke then, for Seto Kaiba, whom I have on good authority to be a cut-throat businessman as vicious as Marcone, actually buried his face in his hands. "Why?" He ground out.

Marcone did not catch on. "Did we miss something, Mr Kaiba?"

"Even worse," the Gatekeeper, now in slightly more normal clothing, strolled in, escorted by, of all things, my cat. "I have been to Edinburgh and retrieved some disturbing information. The ritual must be attempted sometime in the next two days. We are running out of time; the Council is catching on."

Thomas raised an eyebrow at this. "What's the White Council's Gatekeeper's interest in all this?"

"What is the White Court's interest in all this?" the Gatekeeper pleasantly replied.

"He's Medjai," I replied. "Apparently he's being held in a bloodline contract."

"No," the Gatekeeper solemnly shook his head. "I was born into the service, and I wield it as is expected. Egypt remembers her kings well to care even for the remains of her Pharaohs. However, I am curious as to the interest of the White Court in all of this."

"Right," I took a long sigh, breaking up the argument. "Well then, dinner first. Then I drop into the Institute for an off-hour visit, poke about, and maybe spring a kid free."

In retrospect, we should have known.

* * *

The thing about Marcone was that he had not run the streets of Chicago for about fifteen years or so for nothing. No violent takeover, no bloodshed on the streets, relatively clean and smooth transition; for a given value anyway. Part of his skills probably lay in the field of keeping out of trouble with the law. It's probably some shared senses in the criminal underworld; when to smell the trouble and lay low.

The lack of Mafia boss at that Institute should have tipped me off.

Well, the thing that actually tipped me off was a cat-like thing, easily thirty pounds and could give Mister a run for the money.

"Wizard," the Malk hissed, scratchy as all hell as Molly, Thomas, Joey, Mouse and I got off the cab at the Institute gates, the Blue Beetle having died quietly again. I could feel the hint of the subtle veil that seemed natural to all fae and kept all mortals not attuned to the supernatural from seeing them. "You sense it, don't you? Blood of the guilty was spilt here tonight."

The shadows themselves seemed to grow longer and longer as I shivered. Molly's eyes had dilated as she herself seemed to want to curl up into herself, the jacket she had thrown over the more sensible T-shirt, jeans and combat boots we'd stopped by the Carpenter house to retrieve along with some armaments I had left with Michael earlier seemingly insufficient against the slight autumn chill. Thomas's skin had become slightly pale as his demon rose up in response, and Joey seemed to become more nervous. Mouse growled low in his throat. Yeah, I agree. The situation was Very Ominous, and the Gatekeeper, Marik and Ryou hadn't even arrived yet.

"The hooded necromancer has left," the Malk continued, looking down with disdain at me, Molly and Joey. Only the Gatekeeper merited its respectful glare. "He takes the boy with a soul so bright we cannot see, and leaves the taint of blood and darkness that seeps to under the city itself and drives us all mad with fear. Can you feel it, wizard? The way is being prepared."

"You can see souls?" was my reply.

"The boy," the Malk impatiently replied. "We may not have the ability, but even a blind man could see the purity and brightness of that boy. Yet, he is in pain, and the pain has been going on for a long time."

It was Joey's turn. "Was he hurt? Was Yuugi hurt?"

"I speak of heartache, apprentice of the shadows' ways, not of physical pain," the Malk grudgingly replied. "I have remained too long here; my only obligation was to inform the wizard of any such happenings by order of the Queen. They have taken the boy through the Ways; you must hurry before the forces of Faerie accost them." So saying, the feline faerie bowed its head and disappeared in a breath of northern wind, cold and sharp.

"Harry!" Murphy's voice was relieved as the short blonde cop jogged over to us. "Molly, Mr Wheeler." she greeted, the latter only a tad less warmly. "There's been a murder," she turned to me. "Mr Carson Anderson was found in the auditorium by the cleaning staff, strung up and dead. There's an odd shortage of blood, though."

"Ritual," I grunted, narrowing my eyes. "Big mojo. May involve zombies."

"Not likely." As another cab drove off, Marik stood there in front of us, holding up a panting Ryou, while the Gatekeeper stood half a step behind like some protective spectre. "This is summoning, not necromancy by any means. Most of the preparation would be banked on the practitioner's will, not by props. The only requirements to disrupt it once it starts would be either by sheer willpower or to cloak ourselves in shadow."

"Oh God," Ryou's green eyes were wide and panicked, clearly having a seizure. "God, god, no … Marik, help..."

"Ryou has a lock on Yuugi's aura after trying for several times," Marik relayed. "Actually, Bakura got a lock, but then they switched, and now Ryou's maintaining it. Kaiba and the Mafia boss are running interference at CPD and the FBI once Ryou got wind of the murder, so we have to act now to rescue Yuugi and get him to safety."

"Hold it," Murphy began. "You can't–"

"We must," the Gatekeeper gravely replied. "Keeper Ishtar, it seems like we must hurry."

"The Gatekeeper says so," I shrugged. "We'll have to move fast."

"It's for Yuugi," Joey shrugged.

"I'm following," Molly stated before I could tell her otherwise.

Thomas sighed, holding up the golf bag that I had borrowed from Michael. "I now know why Charity handed me the chain mail and the swords immediately after you disappeared with Michael. And the tools," he added as an afterthought. "Besides, we still have to keep you alive."

"Murph, lead us to the body, please," I said to Murphy. "Everyone, follow me. I'll explain the situation on the way."

* * *

"The Institute's fairly close to the Museum," I started as the six –not counting Mouse– of us followed Murphy through the Institute's hallways. The lights above flickered as we passed, giving the corridors an eerie feel reminiscent of a horror movie. "The only reason I can think of for Cowl to use the Ways would be to escape a tracking spell, which would mean that he already knows that I'm involved and plans to hide the kid somewhere in the Nevernever until time for the ritual. The only silver lining is that there are faeries patrolling the Ways, and I know most of the local Ways as the Warden commander. So, to get your friend back we'll have to go charging into the Nevernever itself."

"What's that?" Joey asked. Marik scoffed, while Ryou just looked more lost and desperate.

"It's another dimension beyond the fabric of reality," Marik cut in before I could. "It's not like the Shadow Realm, though. Nothing to suck your energy and general life force out."

To my great surprise, Joey and, even more surprising, the Gatekeeper, let out a sight of relief. "Thank the Prophet," the Gatekeeper murmured. "It would be a long time before I willingly step into that place ever again."

"We are dealing with an extremely powerful necromancer here," I started as we turned left. "Probably his apprentice as well, and probably a few Winterfae, if today was any indication. The Grendelkin we saw today usually act alone, so it's not likely that we'll meet it."

"Mr Kaiba informed me that the Grendelkin escaped the agents he sent after it," the Gatekeeper stated. "He also indicated that there might be … additional forces coming. However, he did not indicate if they were coming through the Ways or through mortal means."

"Mortal means are easier," a blonde girl, about Molly's height and dressed in slacks and a white shirt, commented as we arrived at the double doors of a lecture theatre. "People tend to notice less. Point those elsewhere, will you?" she added coolly in the face of Molly's wand, Thomas's gun, and Marik and Ryou's looks.

"When? How? This is a crime scene, miss." Murphy immediately recovered herself, her hand drifting to her gun.

The girl gave her a look. "I'm not human, and thus not bond to human laws. Ergo, I can pretty much appear here how I like." she then turned to Marik and Ryou. "I knocked out the technicians and the other _Medjai,_ and Master took the corpse to throw into the lake."

"That's corrupting a crime scene!" Murphy raged.

The girl blinked. "Precisely why we're doing it. My apologies to the lady _Medjai_ , but Carson Anderson gave up his right to mortal justice the moment he laid a hand on Master Yuugi."

"Anderson is human," I told her. "You have no right to him."

"The Black Magician Girl speaks the truth," the Gatekeeper said as he shuffled around us into the lecture theatre, Joey, Marik and a rapidly panicking Ryou following. "In a way, his death here would be preferable compared to what the Pharaoh has in store for him."

"Oh yes," the rough voice that was definitely the creepy Bakura's echoed in the cavernous theatre as the white-haired young man stood straight. Mouse began growling low in his throat. "Black Magician Girl, who cleaned up the blood?"

The Duel Monster –that was disturbing beyond all reason– blinked. "I did. Silver Fang and Cael is tracking Master Yuugi down through the Ways as we speak."

"The Celtic Guardian?" Bakura sounded surprised.

"He remains our only reliable navigator through the convoluted Ways," the blonde girl shrugged. "And can you blame him?"

Bakura snorted. "Right. You missed a spot on that seat on the far left. Let's move. We have a," he looked at Mouse, " _Another_ canine," he corrected, "and an elf to catch up to. Ryou's still tracking, and the rift between worlds is repairing. You, the old Medjai. Stay here and hold open the rift. How long will it take?"

"Wait," Murphy protested. "You can't completely subvert the justice system–"

"Bakura snorted. "What happens in the shadows stay in the shadows. Medjai, if you please. Black Magician Girl, hold the lady back if she insists. I want the midget in the city before the Pharaoh manages to take over."

"Say wha –?" I was about the start before Bakura threw me a look.

Then I got it. It was never about stopping a crazy spirit from coming to earth. It was about stopping a crazy spirit from coming to earth _after_ the opposite side was killed, if that made sense. If they were truly light and darkness, then there was a delicate balance involved somewhere. And if the balance is destroyed, things go wrong. Very wrong. Paradox-Armageddon wrong.

The Gatekeeper murmured in a low voice, before the air before us shimmered and a dirt path bordered with flowers opened before us.

"Let's move," Marik grinned. "We've got Yuugi to save."

* * *

The one in the darkness was unprepared when the feeling started.

 _My light!_ The dark one called out within the gloom. _Miw-sher ~!_

There was a start of confusion. _M-mou hitori no boku?_

 _Aibou!_ The darkness was so relieved as it wrapped itself around that feeling and reeled it in close to itself. _It has been so long. The fact that you are here means that they have released you from whatever prison they held you captive in._

 _Wh-what happened? The last thing I remembered was how bitter the water was, then I fell asleep … I was kidnapped! Oh by the gods, Joey must be pissed! And Kaiba ready to chew nails–_

 _There is no time to waste, my light,_ the darkness broke in. _I have not recovered all my strength yet enough to truly involve myself. The little I can do would be for us to switch places._

 _S-switch?_

 _It would be like when we had the Puzzle and switched places. The only difference would be that your soul would be held in stasis, which frankly is no different from when in the Puzzle._

 _When? How?_

 _I suggest we get out of this first before we catch up on what happened, aibou. Your life is in danger from a necromancer who seeks to summon me._

 _Oh. Well, I assume you have a plan?_

 _The general workings of one. Our body is in what those of the Shadows call the convoluted Ways in the Shadow Realm, which trail within the realm of Fae. The same realm the Celtic Guardian used to dwell in, in fact, but later. Time passes differently here than from the human world; it is actually quite intelligent, since it would mean that they would drop below any detection until it became too late for the wizard and the thief to track us down._

 _Bakura's here?_

 _Yes. Ryou is safe for now, do not worry. In fact, I daresay that Ryou's about the safest he can be right now._

 _That's not very reassuring …_

 _Bakura has a change of heart, my light. Now, as joking as that was, let us carry out this plan, shall we? We share an interest in keeping you alive, after all._

 _But, mou hitori no boku –_

 _Hush, aibou. Trust the darkness, we have a plan._

 _We?_

 _Me, Bakura and the lunatic. But enough talk. Time runs and waits for none. However, understand that it is in our best interests if the three of you remain alive until tomorrow. Let me take over now, aibou, and sleep. Sleep the sleep of the spirits as your darkness descends._

 _Wha –?_

The darkness breathed a sigh of relief, as much as it could, as the light began to dream. It then turned towards the gateway between boundaries, and as it passed, it began plotting, calling, alerting to its agents in this world and beyond:

 _It is time._

* * *

Although Faerie time had real world time as a base, it was more of a working guideline than anything resembling natural time. Case in point; although it was eight-thirty in the evening when we went in, the sun still shone over smooth green grass on either side of the dirt path which meandered through wide green fields of wild-flowers.

"Left," I panted as I dashed beside Bakura. "I don't suppose I have to give a crash course on Faerie Fighting 101?"

"I hate this," Marik grumbled, motioning to his chain-mail as he jogged. Only the Gatekeeper, who was back at the Institute with a reluctant Murphy and the odd fictional magician girl was not present.

"It'll save your life," Thomas retorted, hefting a kukri knife as he jogged onwards, despite the heavy chain mail. Only Molly and Mouse, whom Charity never made chain mail for, went un-armoured. She made up for her lack of armour in arms.

"Doesn't mean I can't hate it," Marik grumbled, looking around carefully. I noted that Bakura moved like someone used to running, Joey was cautiously looking around, and that Marik seemed too cautious for normal. "Silver Fang and the elf are somewhere ahead, I guess, so we'll have to meet up and rescue Yuugi once we get Celtic Guardian."

"Another Duel Monster?" I asked. "This is suicidal enough as it is, bringing iron into Faerie. And we're going through Summer's ways, not Winter's."

"Your point being?" Marik bluntly asked.

"I killed the last Summer Lady," I bluntly replied. "Titania probably hates me for that."

"It's not like M– the Winter Queen likes you any better, right?" Molly sensibly pointed out.

"Oi, you idiot elf!" Bakura called ahead, slowing down. We all followed his lead, Molly panting harshly and Mouse still growling.

The elf, Cael, was not what I had expected. He had the usual pointy ears and the yellow eyes, but that was where the resemblance to the archers of Summer ended. He was five foot nine, about twice the height of a normal elf, decked out in green and brown armour complete with domed helmet and purple cloak, and in his hand was a long sword that looked too dark to be steel.

"Thief King," the tall elf replied. "Please refrain from making noise. Just because the former Lady I remember has not made any significant changes to this Way does not mean that we are not watched. Silver Fang is still following the little master as we speak."

"Don't care. Pharaoh can take care of the diplomatic rubbish when we get him. Warp time for us, please," Bakura replied, putting his hand over his eyes in a effort to look ahead.

The tall elf frowned. "My presence within Summer will be detected."

"And? We have a Queen-killer here. If she wanted blood, the hounds would already be on us," Bakura retorted. "Look at it this way. Your master or your safety?"

The elf growled low in his throat. "You present an irritating argument," he replied, lifting his hands. "All of you, be ready to run."

"Harry," Molly fearfully asked. "What's he doing?"

"All fae have the ability to bend time across their home to some degree," Bakura replied, pulling out two long wavy-bladed knives and throwing one to Marik, who deftly caught it, before pulling out another and throwing it to Joey. "This allows them to drastically shorten travel time, and traverse the battlefield in the blink of an eye, so Pharaoh says. Of course, it's all invalid if a Faerie Queen says otherwise, but now there's no Queen present. Get ready."

"Right," I sighed, lifting my staff to something more comfortable for a flat-out dash. "Rush them, get the kid, escape. I can do that. Molly–"

"I'm going with," my apprentice bluntly replied. "You might need help."

"Thomas?" I turned to the only family* I had left.

He rolled his eyes. "It's just like Arctis Tor. Someone needs to be around to make sure you live."

"Let's," Joey, Marik and Ryou– no, Bakura, all stated.

I have a faerie godmother. It's an open secret – my faerie godmother wasn't something one dropped into normal conversation. Also until recently, my godmother was intent on turning me into a hound, but that's in the past. Even more luckily, my godmother was of the Winter Court, so there was no way that I would come across her on the Ways of Summer.

Unluckily, I also have contacts on the Summer Court, and they are often unable to help.

Like right now, when the current Summer Knight, mortal champion of the Summer Queens, was standing before us.

"Sorry, Harry," Fix stated, standing on a guard position. "I cannot allow you to pass."

I groaned. "Great."

"They're just up ahead," Bakura muttered. "Cael, what d'you think?"

The elf squinted. "I can probably hold him, though not forever."

"Do that," Bakura barked, dashing forward. Fix tried to stab him, but Bakura neatly jumped, grabbed Fix's shoulders and flipped over him to land neatly on his haunches. "Ryou, more exercise," he growled. "Come on!"

This was enough to snap us out of our reverie, and we dashed forward as the elf and Fix locked swords.

* * *

The two hooded figures moved slowly and purposefully through the summer fields. Behind them trailed the extremely hirsute Grendelkin, a young boy slung over its shoulder in a fireman's carry, wincing on his left side and favouring his right leg.

"Ow..." the three all heard the boy.

"Empty night," the shorter figure, which sounded female, swore. "Master –?"

"Incapacitate the boy," Cowl ordered. "As long as he is alive, it matters not. He will die soon enough."

The Grendelkin was about to lift the boy down on his knee when a ball of dark purple energy slammed down on its face. Groaning in pain, the Grendelkin dropped the young man-boy, who simply flipped and landed on his feet, moving immediately to put space between himself and the Grendelkin.

Crimson eyes like pooled blood glared at the three of them. "It would seem like I was mostly correct," the Nameless Pharaoh murmured, as his eyes flicked to the side, where several figures were prominently running over, the most prominent being two spots of white. "The cavalry arrives."

* * *

 _  
***Pre-Changes story. I haven't read Ghost Story yet to present a credible tale.**   
_


	18. Final Attack Orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Battle scene. I was a bit hyped up on the Kung Fu Panda soundtrack when I wrote this …** _

_  
**Battle scene. I was a bit hyped up on the Kung Fu Panda soundtrack when I wrote this …**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Final Attack Orders**

"Sweet Isis," Bakura muttered as the silver wolf in front of us leapt to the punk-haired kid's aid. "So they couldn't kill him. Okay, wizard, you take the hooded figure on the left with Ishtar and the lunatic, I take the other hooded one with your apprentice, the two mutts helps the Pharaoh with hairy. Any questions?"

"How the hell do we –?"

"No questions? Excellent. Now move."

I was beginning to get the idea that Bakura was more skilled than he was letting on. From his eerily accurate plan of action, I figured that he was one of the types to dash in, act later. Now I knew better. He wasn't an ace; he planned his action in a loose line, and adapted to fit the needs. While not great in the short term, the fact that it could be adapted to fit the changing needs was terrifying. He wasn't an ace; he was a wild card.

His plans were sensible. They were also nuttier than a barrel of squirrels.

" _Forzare!_ " I aimed and sent a bolt of force like a rushing train towards the hooded figure, who dodged.

"Wizard Dresden," a voice I recognised as Kumori, a renegade necromancer, stated. "I did not think that you would follow."

"What can I say," I fulfilled the age-old tradition of fire-fight banter. "Kidnapping kids and damsels tend to get my goat, you know."

Kumori cocked her head. "He was twenty-two the last I checked."

"He looks like a kid. He plays a children's card game. Ergo, he's a kid at heart. That counts." I replied, aiming again. " _Fuego!_ "

"Foolishness will not help you," Kumori answered, as I felt her gather her power.

My shield-bracelet saved my life again as it blocked a fireball she threw at me. It also gave Marik time to work something. Her limbs immediately locked to her body, unable to move.

"Wizard," Marik was holding an odd gesture. "Hurry up."

Kumori immediately yelled: "I call in my favour. Assist me!"

I had barely shot a fireball when it was intercepted by a blur of yellow. Soon, the whinny of a horse alerted me to the fact that I was surrounded by six knights, each wearing armour of Summer's colours, red and yellow and green, mounted on horses with flowers strung through their manes, and they all looked hostile.

Hell's bells.

"Yay," a cackle told me that Marik had just done an about-face. "You can summon too. My turn. _Gil Garth, Legendary Fiend, Makyura the Destructor!_ Your master calls!"

Several monsters of an unholy combination of sci-fi and horror materialised in bursts of purple smoke in the midst of the Sidhe knight circle, armed with blades, teeth and general sharp and pointy things which looked like steel. Wisps of purple mists curled about them as the surrounding shadows grew and targeted the knights.

"How dare you!" an irate Sidhe knight called. "The Queen will rip your eyes from your skull!"

"The darkness calls for blood!" Malik, the evil counterpart, yelled back. "Attack!"

The monsters leapt into horribly efficient and bloody slaughter in front of me. Behind me, Joey gave a battle cry as black plates and scales and claws materialised around him. To my left, Bakura gave a battle cry as he charged forward with his knives. To my right, my apprentice gave a battle cry as she threw Cowl in an illusion. Somewhere, I heard a shout, not of pain, but of courage and anger and pure hatred, and the sky above actually began to darken.

I gave my own cry. What the hell. "I don't believe in faeries!"

* * *

"Take this!" Jounochi gave his own curse as the Red Eyes Black Dragon roared at the nervous-looking Grendelkin scampering from Mouse's snapping jaws. "Inferno Fire Blast!"

The Grendelkin laughed as the blast bounced harmlessly off it. "I've been countering _seid_ for a long time, little apprentice. You'll need more than that." The black dragon of darkness roared in disappointment.

"Mahaado," a baritone voice that occasionally haunted Jounochi's dreams and nightmares stated. "Please ensure that our hirsute friend does not rise again while I deal with them. After which, you and Jounochi please handle the other enemies. Bakura and I will deal with this side."

"Understood, my Pharaoh." Several throwing knives appeared out of thin air as the one once known as the Black Magician and now truly the Black Magician appeared in a swirl of robes the colour of night, a grim expression on his face as the knives floated pointing at the scion of Grendel. " _Thousand Knives_!"

As good as countering magic may be, an omnidirectional stabbing was pretty difficult to evade. The Grendelkin didn't stand a chance.

"No hard feelings," the Black Magician said as he aimed his staff at the injured Grendelkin's head. "But I must ensure that you never stand again."

The blast took the immortal's head clean off his shoulders.

* * *

Bakura swore again as the dark purple ball of energy he had thrown was deflected.

"Shadow magic?" the hooded figure sounded surprised. "Would I be correct is saying that you are the Thief King of the legends?"

"Thief King Bakura, at your service," Bakura muttered, working through more hand gestures. He growled at the hooded figure dodged the next shadow strike. It was then that he noticed that he was surrounded by mean-looking knights on horseback.

"Diabound," he muttered. The snake-like fiend spirit possessed one of the faerie knights, who immediately charged at the hooded figure, who jumped out of the way.

"I am called Cowl," the necromancer stated, lifting a hand.

Bakura jumped out of the way before he could be incinerated. "I don't care."

"Why ever not? From what history tells of you, you seem to look to destroy the Pharaoh whenever possible."

"History is written by the winners," Bakura retorted. "Why would they praise me? The old priests don't like me at all."

"Would you not require help for your ambition?" Cowl offered.

Bakura considered. "No." And he fired.

Cowl dodged the force blast that dug a hole into the earth. "That would be abysmally foolish, Thief King," he advised. "You would take on an enemy who had defeated you once alone again?"

Russet eyes met crimson as Bakura dodged a blast of invisible force like a freight train. "Better the enemy you know than the ally you don't. Besides," and here Bakura smirked as another shadow blast threw Cowl into a tree, the distinctive sound of bones breaking audible over the din as the tell-tale flash of Silver Fang body-slammed Cowl into hard tree once more. "Whoever said that enemies were eternal?"

"You did," a baritone voice answered as another shadow ball hit a charging Sidhe knight behind. "You said that no way in the underworld would you ever team up with me."

Bakura scowled. "Don't steal my thunder, you idiot!"

"You started the trend. Well, actually, the lunatic did," the Nameless Pharaoh stood up as far as a five foot frame would allow, back ramrod straight and radiating authority even as he cast more offensive spells. "It would seem like we would have to call a small task force here."

"How small are we talking?" Bakura decided to focus. "Because the Summer Knight's changed and he's rushing over again. Forget it," russet eyes narrowed as they looked to the horizon. "There's more on their way."

"Choices, choices … how fast can you whistle up Zorc?" the Pharaoh muttered.

"Not fast enough, and not here," Bakura answered. "Not this close to Halloween if I want to do that and retain my sanity."

"I see. It would seem that we will have to make do with monsters just below the top tier," the dark Yuugi replied. "Summer specialises in the forces of light and life, which are fairly neutral against my agents and quite effective against your fiends. We'll have to call a field or more monsters to even the odds."

"What about the wizard?" Bakura replied.

Said wizard soon yelled: "I don't believe in faeries!" as a blast of fire just barely hit the other hooded figure.

"He's busy," the Pharaoh off-handedly replied. "But perhaps … Let's just ask him."

* * *

" _Ventas!_ " I called. " _Ventas servitas!_ "

The wind picked up and blew past the Sidhe knights, not fazing them in the least. That is, until Thomas rushed past them with a kukri, then they scattered away.

"You cannot deal with faeries directly, wizard!" the baritone that once haunted my dreams echoed behind me.

I immediately whirled around and saw the king at the heart of this mess.

The Nameless Pharaoh was short, to say the least. Five foot nothing, average height of the ancient world, with the weird three-coloured hair sticking up that, by all odds, was genetic. However, he was the kind of person to whom height was simply unnecessary. Power and authority seemed to radiate from this very being who bore an incredible likeness to the mousy Yuugi Mutou. Where Yuugi Mutou was a mouse, from what I'd seen, _he_ was something else, so alike yet so different. This was someone who was strong; if you took away everything he has, he would still be strong, because of _who_ he was instead of _what_ he embodied.

Here was one of the god-kings of the ancient world's most stable empire, one of the leaders who had once ruled the lands within the shifting sands.

"Kill them all!" Cowl called, the winds whipping his voice to the four corners. "Leave none alive! If the power is lost, so be it! There are more targets to achieve our aims!"

"We are surrounded," he murmured calmly despite the charge, dodging a flying Thomas who crashed onto the ground as he did so. "It appears that I was incorrect. Cowl's primary aim was to assassinate us, or rather, Yuugi. The ritual was a mere bonus. Wizard, if you were in our position, how would you get us out?"

"Iron," I grunted. "Keep them at bay with iron, run to the next Waypoint, tear through, escape."

"Where is the next Waypoint?" the Pharaoh asked, before lifting his fingers to his lips and emitting a shrill whistle. The wolf immediately trotted over, casually knocking a Sidhe knight off his horse on the way.

"Go back, inform Mana and the Medjai mage that we are heading to ..." he turned to me expectantly, something in newly blood-red eyes compelling me to obey.

"Edinburgh," I croaked. "But it'll be suicide–"

"Remaining here is suicide," the seemingly embodied spirit snapped back as the wolf loped off back where we came from. "I myself am not at full strength, and I would rather not start a war with the Faerie Courts. Our objective is not to defeat the Summer cavalry, but rather to escape. Battling on Summer terrain is not guaranteed to secure victory. Bakura!"

" _Change of Heart_!" Upon Bakura's command, a lone knight on a grey horse turned around and began attacking his compatriots. "What?"

"We're going to escape to high ground." At Bakura's expression, the Pharaoh sighed. "We're doing a runner."

"Good call," Joey grunted by us, the black dragon behind him snapping at the cavalry and keeping them at bay. "I don't think I can continue –"

"Talk later, escape first," Bakura snapped back, hauling Thomas up with one hand. "I don't fancy taking on an army by myself, one weakened Pharaoh, one lunatic mage and his apprentice and dog, one incubus and a pair of lunatics, you know."

"You shall not pass!" a familiar tenor called. More purple energy and ashes floated in the breeze as Djer appeared, complete in night-coloured glory and staff aglow. "We are retreating, then?"

"Make that two lunatic mages," Bakura muttered. "Bastard couldn't stay dead …"

"We have what is necessary," the Pharaoh replied. "Wizard, you'll have to guide us to this Edinburgh for now."

"We might have to fight our way out the moment we get there," I sheepishly replied. "Especially since most of your magics seem to break our laws one way or another. And ignorance is not seen as an excuse."

"Deal with that problem when it comes, but I don't want to murder this many Sidhe on Sidhe land," the god-king's eyes narrowed. "The Faerie Courts have long memories."

"Lunatic!" Bakura ordered. "Retreat!"

"Aww," the lunatic in question ran to us, the white blood of the Sidhe stained on his hands. "Why?"

"You want a war with the Fae, you deal with it alone," Bakura snapped. "Where to?"

"Right!" I yelled. "Molly, we're retreating to Edinburgh!"

"No!" Cowl yelled. "Stop them!"

"No," the Pharaoh muttered, raising a hand. " _Swords of Revealing Light_!"

Several sword-shaped bolts of light rained down upon the Sidhe cavalry at his call, pinning horse and knight alike in their place.

"Run," the Pharaoh stated simply.

Monster and humans – and mortal vampire and dog – ran.

Straight into the Summer Knight.

"It would seem that we are in quite the pickle," the Pharaoh muttered as he stopped upon seeing Fix standing there. "Cael has successfully escaped, although injured. I can sense him."

"That's good," Djer encouragingly replied. "How would we deal with the Summer Knight? If you recall, my king, you have to summon your own ka to defeat the last one. And they only improve with time."

"Precisely why the Courts employ mortal champions," the Pharaoh muttered. I had no problems believing that the man had ruled a kingdom a long time ago now. "Knight versus knight sounds like a good idea, is it not?"

"As you command, my king," Djer immediately replied, standing straight as he extracted a card from his robes.

"No offence, but I can't see how playing cards will work against the Summer Knight." Molly offered.

"Like my apprentice," the Black Magician shook his head. "I can only hope that history will not repeat itself here. _Knight's Title!_ "

The night-coloured robes changed itself to purple armour like the knights of old, complete with cloak and old-fashioned helmet. A simple straight sword appeared out of thin air and Djer grabbed it, muttering under his breath as black runes began carving themselves into the crystalline-looking blade.

"Go," the one known as the Black Magician stated as he locked swords with the mortal champion of Summer.

"Let's run!" Bakura hissed to the Pharaoh.

"But Maha –"

"Three thousand years couldn't kill him, Diabound couldn't kill him, it'll take a lot more than the faeries' mortal champion to kill him," Bakura snapped back as he dragged the Pharaoh and Joey's now unconscious body off. "Besides, remember its effect?"

"I see," the Pharaoh had recovered his composure. "Wizard, if you would be so kind."

"Right," I muttered, wondering when did my life become an RPG. "Thataway."

We ran until green fields gave way to snowy hills, approaching an aurora-covered sky as northern winds blew down from the Unseelie Mountains, quickly homing in on paths known mostly to the White Council of Wizardry.

"Halt, man-thing," a sibilant voice with several clicks started, but then it seemed that they were just tired of running.

"Can we attack that?" Bakura asked me. Bastard wasn't even out of breath.

"Not a great idea," I carefully replied, panting from our run. "We're approaching the White Council any moment –"

"Man-thing, you have come at just the right meal-time," the voice said.

Thomas, the only one who seemed barely fazed, gulped. "Uh-oh."

"Maybe not," the Pharaoh muttered. "If Summer is after us, Winter would oppose Summer."

"You smell of shadow magic," the voice rumbled quietly. "The Queen will not be pleased. And the wizard bears the smell of the Winter Queen on him."

I blinked. "I smell like Mab? You serious? Did she leave her scent on me or something?"

"Not the focus here," Marik, who seemed to have recovered after the monsters he summoned disappeared in a puff of smoke, groaned, looking behind. "Gods, at least the Shadow Realm didn't have monsters attacking us left right and centre." He looked at the Pharaoh. "Where's Yuugi?"

"Asleep," the Pharaoh's voice seemed to be steeped in hatred when he ground out that word. "They left him in a circle with only one meal a day and no freedom, hidden from the shadows and from all Sight. The necromancer will _pay._ "

There are some who think that someone with nothing to lose is the most dangerous. Any good soldier will tell you that the most dangerous is someone with something to protect. Nothing will drive humans into greater desperation than when something precious is at stake. Look at mothers. They can defy even gods, topple governments, spit on civilisations and slay armies to keep their children safe if necessary. Warriors with something to protect have absolutely no compunctions to do what is necessary.

The Pharaoh's expression scared me, because of what it seemed to convey: _This is the only thing in the whole world that's precious to me. This is the one thing I won't give up. I will kill anything that stands in my way._

In short, a fear-inducing expression. If he could bottle that up, he'd probably win wars.

"Spider," he called, voice laced with the authority of time and wisdom and power. "Inform the Queen that the Nameless Pharaoh calls in his marker. Tell her to look to Edinburgh after her conversation with my priest. Do it quickly, or I will face your Court with all the fury and power I have amassed."

"The man-thing reserves not the right to command any of us fae…" the huge spider said, walking out of the dark forests surrounding the Unseelie Mountains leading to Arctis Tor and Winter's heart.

"Do you doubt me? _Go_." That voice was undeniably laced with power, heavy and strong and enduring and angry like all the fury of a sandstorm.

The spider didn't protest after that.

* * *

Needless to say, Warden Chandler, guard of the Edinburgh Waypoint, entrance to the stronghold of the White Council, wasn't too pleased.

"Dresden," he sighed, the dapper suit he wore just this side shy of damp under the grey cloak of the Wardens. "Should've known. We have reports flooding in from Ramirez and all over the world, you know."

"Not my fault this time, Steed" I whined, "Fate hates me. Oh yeah, this is my apprentice, you know, Molly Carpenter. The unconscious one is Joey Wheeler, the blonde holding him is –"

"Marik Ishtar of the Tomb Keepers," Marik promptly replied, interrupting the surprised Warden. "Beside me is the Nameless Pharaoh of the Shadows, and the white-haired one is Thief King Bakura of the Dark." He – very wisely – did not mention Thomas. "Warden Chandler, we seek entrance to the Hidden Halls of Edinburgh, stronghold of the White Council of Wizardry established by the Merlin. May we pass?"

Chandler frowned. "I'll have to inform the Captain –"

"The necromancer's taint is approaching," the Pharaoh murmured. "Apparently he has the fae of Winter on his side. And if they think nothing of attacking here this openly, it means that the Council is already compromised."

"Yeah, we found a traitor high-up last year," I replied. "Still, Cowl's mad to attack like this."

"No," the Pharaoh murmured, watching as four enormous hulking orange masses approached over the distance at speeds to put cars to shame. "Ogres. Mahaado!"

"The Summer Knight has been incapacitated, my Pharaoh," Djer appeared, still clad in intact, albeit dented armour, sword at the ready. "I was about to deal the finishing blow before another of the high Sidhe interrupted us. It would seem that the current Summer Lady is rather inexperienced, although powerful."

"I see," he non-committally replied. "Who are we to argue with the one who took on the previous Summer and Winter Ladies? We have ogres after us. Can you fight as the Warden brings word to their commander?"

"Not as much as I would like to, but sufficient," he replied. "Cael is on his way with my apprentice as we speak, although the skies are difficult to traverse through the convoluted Ways."

"A former Summer warrior cutting through Winter will be noticed," the Pharaoh noted before shrugging. "Very well. I intend to re-negotiate with the Faerie Courts anyway. Warden Chandler, please hurry, or I will be forced to commit a diplomatic incident in White Council territory."

"Understood," Chandler immediately replied, jumping through a hole torn in the fabric of reality to the Hidden Halls of Edinburgh.

"Wizard Dresden, has there been any noticeable increase in an ogre's intelligence over the years?" the Pharaoh asked.

I decided not to ask why. "Nope, they're still pretty dumb. But that much muscle and that much time makes a difference."

"They have experience!" the Pharaoh called. "Proceed with caution!"

"Yes, my king!"

I had to rub my eyes there. Djer actually floated as he flew towards the ogres just ten feet away, sword at the ready. Behind him, another purple-green blur sped towards us, and in what little light there was over the aurora, there was the glint of a blade. Djer pushed one ogre into the blade's path before taking on another. The elf, Cael, pulled his sword out from the ogre's corpse and dealt another blow to one by the side. It was over in mere seconds before the magician and the elf stood before the Pharaoh.

History says that only those kings with good men would live through wars. If this was the quality and professionalism of his men, I could see how the Nameless Pharaoh became so renowned.

Marcone would kill for such bodyguards.

The Pharaoh doubled over, muttering something, no doubt cursing. "Keep a lookout," he murmured. "We're so close..."

"We're clear," Chandler appeared through the entrance again. "Welcome to the Hidden Halls. Enter in peace and depart in peace … hopefully."

I took Chandler aside the moment we got through to the relatively safer real world. "Status?"

"The Merlin's assembling the Council," Chandler solemnly relayed. "With the Gatekeeper's arrival a while ago, they're putting it to a vote whether we should put them under trial. Knowing the Merlin, they'll go through trial. Are they dangerous?"

I nodded. "The Gatekeeper says they are. Frankly, after what they did, I'd be scared too."

Chandler shook his head. "They have no hope."

* * *

 _  
**Close to the end...**   
_


	19. Ceasefire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Soon going to end...** _

_  
**Soon going to end...**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 19: Ceasefire**

Frankly, Captain Anastasia Luccio of the Wardens of the White Council didn't know how to react.

After a five-year long war with the Red Court of Vampires, most of the White Council had acknowledged that Harry Dresden was a loose cannon and maverick all in one and people should just accept that every group had their crazies and be lucky that Harry Dresden was on their side. Considering the major losses both due to the Council's zero-tolerance policy and the war, they really needed a powerhouse cum intimidation factor like Dresden.

However, it wasn't everyday that Dresden brought his apprentice, his dog, one of the slightly-feared Tomb-Keepers of Egypt, one known White Court vampire, one unconscious person, and two odd beings who completely defied expectations into the Hidden Halls. She had thought they were mere teenagers, but their eyes were too old for their supposed age, and the frankly eerie eye colour caused her skin to crawl.

The boy with hair in three different colours was just examining the hot chocolate she handed out, eyes like pools of blood flicking about the room. Magic coiled about like as they did the oddly dressed warrior and the magician, who stood by the side.

"Cael, Mahaado, take some," the boy indicated to the hot steaming mugs he held out to them. "I insist."

They silently accepted the cups. "Thank you, Pharaoh."

"Damn frigging cold here," the white-haired one yawned.

"Scotland," Harry Dresden answered, patting his dog, who had settled by the fireplace. The Hidden Halls had to keep warm, after all. "Cold all year round."

"I know. Say, what do we do now?" the white-haired one continued.

"You stay here until the Council calls for you," the Captain replied. "And there should be a possible trial."

"Our diplomatic contact will be arriving soon," the one called Pharaoh replied, still examining the mugs, as if he had never seen such a thing before. "Tell me, are those on the Council intending to kill us, Captain?"

"The Merlin does not harbour any favour to the Tomb-keepers," she carefully replied, shooting a look at the quiet Tomb-Keeper Ishtar. "Each of you give off the taint of shadows, which to most are synonymous with dark magic. By the laws of the White Council which seeks to protect humanity from such, yes, you might. The most one would expect is for a Council member to plead for a chance at forgiveness, or the Doom of Damocles, as it is known in the Council."

"We live under a constant doom already. There is no need for any more deals to cut with a group of old mortals," the white-haired one scoffed.

"Most of the 'mortals' there are over two hundred years old," Luccio pointed out.

"I'm three thousand years old," the white-haired one snapped back. "I think I have a right to say that they're mortal."

"Bakura." the Pharaoh stated warningly. "Remember our conversation about manners?"

"Yeah?" Bakura's tone was wary.

"What's Ryou saying?"

"Right …" Bakura nodded.

"Care to fill me in?" Harry turned to them. "I sort of missed the memo where we rescue a kid and it turns out that I'm rescuing a semi-legendary Pharaoh. Not to mention that there's still the missing kid."

"He's here," the Pharaoh pointed to himself. "Well, his body's here, but his spirit's asleep, so I'm temporarily in charge. Bakura's in the same situation as we are, and… "

Nevertheless, she gave out orders, handed out hot chocolate to a thawing team, and prepared to note down the details of the latest Dresdensque situation.

* * *

"Your situation's pretty bleak," Luccio summed up once I finished telling everything. "The Council wouldn't want to risk it. They'll kill them. And you can't reasonably expect to escape from Edinburgh undetected. From the summonings, the Merlin can get them down for the Fourth Law, maybe even the Third Law, and then they'll be sentenced."

"These laws apply only to mortal wizards, is that correct?" the Pharaoh leaned forward, interested.

"If you're proved otherwise, the Merlin will twist it and argue that you're a monster to be killed on sight," I bluntly replied. "He's like that."

"Then I shall have to argue that I cannot be killed by the Council's means," the Pharaoh replied, still nursing the untouched cup of hot chocolate.

Molly sniffed. "Good luck with that. The Merlin's pretty … stuck-up."

I actually knew that her actual opinion of the White Council's leader wasn't very flattering to begin with, but I mentally applauded her restraint. It sure was better than what I'd use to describe the Merlin. _Prick_ would be a blessing if not closer to the mark.

"He is manipulative? Capable of arguing? Old, experienced, and sly as a fox?" the Pharaoh asked. At Luccio's nods, he shrugged. "Then he is likely predictable. Most politicians are like that. The only difference between this leader you describe and most politicians is the magic."

Thomas shook his head. "First time I've ever heard the Merlin described as predictable."

"I agree," the Gatekeeper solemnly replied, already in robes with the hood uncovered to show a scarred face with the left eye replaced with a stainless steel ball. "I never would have used 'ordinary' to describe Arthur Langtry. Pharaoh," the Gatekeeper actually went on bended knee before the man. Luccio's eyes widened.

"Your name is?" Blood-coloured eyes, piercing as a hawk's, focused on the Gatekeeper.

"My family name is Rashid, ancient king," he replied quietly. "Beyond that, I cannot answer."

"It is good enough. Rise." he waited until the Gatekeeper was standing once more. "Then, Rashid," and here he leaned closer, "What has your Council decided?"

"The Merlin seeks to bring you, the thief, and the keepers before the trial, ancient king," the Gatekeeper replied quietly. "Gregori Cristos, our newest member, agrees with him. They will most likely vote against you, ancient king."

"And you?" the Pharaoh prompted.

"Due to a clashing of interests, I will withdraw my vote," the Gatekeeper replied. "Instead, I will be serving as your defence. Wizard Listens-to-Wind and Wizard Liberty, as well as the Ancient Wizard Mai, reserves judgement. Wizard McCoy is of the opinion that you come in peace and that, I quote, 'the Merlin's blowing all of it out of his ass'."

"Yeah," I said. "That's Ebenazar McCoy."

Bakura choked. Thomas blinked in surprise. Marik snorted.

"Rashid, you will need to bring the incubus away from here," the Pharaoh pointed to Thomas. "Judging from his continued presence, I do not think that any of yours have noticed yet, and I have heard rumours of a war. I also wish you to take our friend, the unconscious blonde man with us, and take him to Chicago, to my cousin's reincarnation's brother. My cousin's reincarnation is occupied at the moment."

"I will do so, ancient king," the Gatekeeper replied as he moved over to where Joey was slumped and picked the boy up in a fireman's carry. "Come, Thomas Raith of the White Court, we will need to depart."

"Good luck," Thomas muttered as he passed me as he followed the Gatekeeper out.

"Thank you, Rashid." the Pharaoh replied sincerely, and some part of me wished to pledge loyalty to the man that instant.

That realisation woke me up. Was it truly his sheer power that had won this king of the ancient civilisations his crown and his legend to be told through the ages? Or was it this charisma?

"You will help us then, Madam Luccio?" the Pharaoh prompted to a dumbstruck Luccio.

"O-Of course," Luccio stuttered. It sounded like a very double-edged question, and he'd probably just gotten Luccio to pledge her loyalty to him without a hint of magic.

"Pharaoh's been doing this for a pretty long time," Bakura snorted. "Almost for most of his life."

I suddenly felt very cheered at the prospect of trashing the Senior Council.

"So," Molly started. "He doesn't look very insane, Harry. In fact, he's almost hot."

I shook my head. "I did not need to hear that."

"Thank you," the Pharaoh –really?– replied blandly. "Please do not be assured that I do not return the sentiment, but a possible death sentence by the very same people we try to protect is not very reassuring right now."

"Protect?" I asked.

"We," he motioned to himself, "Share a bond as light and darkness. Such a spiritual bond across worlds create a balance between light and darkness. Whether literal or metaphorical, one cannot survive without the other. However, this problem was compounded not only by the fact that Yuugi is my other half, but that I have died many millennia prior to this. We are thus separated not only on the deepest spiritual plane, but also by the boundaries between life and death. It is like this in our case, as well at Bakura's and Malik's, that a balance between light and dark is achieved."

Stars and stones. To have your very own soul separated on that deeply spiritual level, to be ripped apart and never come together… Even for a duty, that must hurt.

"It is pain," Bakura dully replied. "Pain so enduring that time cannot ever remove it. Literal soul-mates separated by the greatest distance."

"Sounds like a movie," Marik stated. "But still true."

"Before I left, I made sure that my other half cannot follow me to the afterlife," the Pharaoh dully continued. "I mandated my only contact between the two world, my faithful servant the Black Magician to protect Yuugi from the reprisal borne of the Puzzle and solving it. Likewise, Bakura and Malik took steps to protect their other halves, with some moderation."

"Moderation?" Marik asked, seeming to snap out of a dream.

"Malik was all for subjugating your mind again," the Pharaoh dryly replied. "Bakura and I actually had to agree on a truce against him, or the balance of Ma'at would have been disrupted. Even so, negotiations are continuing."

Marik gulped, while my ears pricked at the last bit.

"My retainer can protect against many things," the Pharaoh continued. "The shadows can protect from almost all but themselves and their own and the stress of being separated. Despite my wish for Yuugi to live, Yuugi had tried … to follow me."

Luccio gasped. My mouth went dry then.

"Ryou was no exception," the Pharaoh continued. "As you would know, Bakura."

The white-haired thief grunted.

"Malik has never told me, but Isis has visions, the contents of which are visible from the spirit world," the Pharaoh's gaze turned to Marik, who looked away. "Even so, they couldn't die."

"Wait a sec," Molly blinked. "If they tried to commit suicide, then you couldn't stop them from attempting it. All you can do is save them or mind-whammy them to not try to kill themselves."

"You're forgetting another method," Marik pointed out. "Here's a clue, I still look the same way I did three years ago. Yuugi and Ryou are the same. Heck, Yuugi should have grown by all rights already, not still remaining vertically challenged. If it wasn't for that –" he stopped, unable to say any more.

"Three years we've been trying," Bakura echoed. "Three years we kept them in the dark as to what we planned. And when the time came, and we gathered enough power, some upstart necromancer tries to sabotage us. Without one of the three lights, the balance would've been ruined even if we succeeded. Without the inheritor to control it, the resulting backlash would have unleashed darkness unrivalled upon the world. And if Yuugi's soul was rent, the Pharaoh would have to descend. The scales would tip in the favour of darkness. What we've just done, is to prevent an apocalyptic scenario."

Hell's bells. No wonder the Gatekeeper was so terrified. He'd known all along the consequences.

"All in a day's work," Luccio muttered in my direction. "Harry Dresden, saviour of the world."

And I didn't even get paid beforehand. Story of my life.

* * *

Luccio led us to a great speaking room with seven podiums standing before an amphitheatre-like hall an hour later with the Gatekeeper in tow. The Senior Council stood by the podiums, all looking frazzled, except for Dumbledore's evil twin, I mean, the Merlin. I had to hand it to them; glares from six of the seven most powerful wizards in the world and they didn't even react. The Pharaoh even held his head high, refusing to wear the cloth bag typical to all trials.

"No," he stated in slightly accented English. "If I am to go through this farce of a trial, I will do it by level ground."

Dumbledore's evil twin stiffened. "You dare –"

"I dare, honourable Merlin," he replied blandly. "I am the one addressed as the Nameless Pharaoh of the Shadows. Beside me is the Thief King Bakura of the Dark and the Ishtar, Keepers of the Tomb. This should be sufficient grounds to place us on equal status to stand before the Senior Council, do you not agree?"

"I have never heard of any Nameless Pharaoh," the newest addition to the Senior Council, Gregori Cristos, began.

"So the legends are true," Ancient Mai started, quietly reverent. "Very well then." She then noticed us. "What is the Warden Commander Dresden doing here? And with his apprentice and his Foo dog no less."

She gave _Mouse_ a more respectful look than anything she'd ever given to me. My dog gets more respect than me. Ow.

"The incident began in Chicago, Warden Dresden's area," the Pharaoh explained. "He is here as witness to the events that happened. As a Warden commander of your Council, his word should be unimpeachable."

"I see," the Ancient Mai nodded. "Very well then. Are there any other concerns to address before the trial begins?"

"Your Gatekeeper, Wizard Rashid, has offered his services as translator," the Pharaoh began again. "However, another witness would be arriving shortly, and due to my witness's inability to speak the language of your White Council as well as my own, I humbly request that the trial be held in English, a language common to most of the world and the only one we hold in common today."

"And this witness would be?" The Merlin prompted.

"The Chicago Baron," he simply replied. "Who is on his way along with my high priest, escorted by his guards. I have also taken the liberty to inform you that the Summer and Winter Courts would be seeking an audience quite soon."

I blinked. When the hell did he–?

"Seth and I have been planning this for a long time, so frankly, not too long," the Pharaoh replied, smiling. "Will you, honourable Merlin?"

A tic formed over the Merlin's left eye. "Very well. The trial shall be held in English."

"Thank you," the smirk the Pharaoh carried was low and respectful as he bowed, although for the Merlin it must've been irritating. "May I please enquire as to the purpose of the trial?"

Cristos cleared his throat. "The Senior Council is gathered here today to judge one Yuugi Mutou, one Ryou Bakura and one Marik Ishtar for the alleged use of black magic, as charged by the White Council of Wizardry."

"Yuugi Mutou would be the name of this mortal's body," the Pharaoh indicated to himself. "Bakura Ryou would be the Thief King's body, and Marik Ishtar is present and accounted for. We will stand in place of the accused for this trial."

I noted that the Pharaoh seemed to be holding himself back, possibly from punching Cristos. I don't blame him, really. Cristos, who blackmailed his way onto the Senior Council and was probably a suspected traitor, was not on anyone's list of favourite wizards. It didn't help that he was a seventy percent smarmy bastard either. I say seventy percent because there had got to be a reason he has a third of the Council's support.

"Very well," the Merlin sighed. "Let us begin with the Tomb Keeper. Marik Ishtar, you are charged with the breaking of the Third and Fourth Laws of Magic, that is, the wilful robbing of the free will of another human being and of the deliberate control of another human being, as well as the deliberate shattering of the souls of another human being." He paused. "Is that correct?"

"You're generalising," Marik pointed out. "Some of those things were done by Shaadi and Tomb Keepers before me in our duty."

"I agree, honourable Merlin," the Gatekeeper intervened. "The sins of one's ancestors are hardly his sins, after all. We should not punish a child just barely freed from a destiny he did not choose for what his ancestors had done over the span of years. The sins of a ghost living outside his time should not impact your decision regarding this child."

"I stand with the Gatekeeper's thoughts," Martha Liberty of the White Council stated.

"The Tomb-keeper's soul is part of a delicate balance," Injun Joe a.k.a Listens-to-Wind murmured. "I will not be responsible for its destruction."

"What of the rumours that he wilfully abused the powers of the artefacts his clan was mandated to guard, committing murder, theft and a general spree of crime across the world?" Cristos raised. "Come now, do not deny it; we have been gathering evidence for a long time."

"I was under the influence of the Sceptre of a Thousand Years," Marik dully replied. "As well as trapped in my own mind under the thumb of my darkness who sought to throw me into the darkness of people's hearts. I was ten, and forced to choose a destiny I was never informed of, that I never chose, that I didn't want. It was the actions of a child who was lost in their own mind due to the wilful actions of the Tomb-keepers. I do not care what you do to me now; the Tomb-keepers have been released from our fate as the Pharaoh rises."

" _Aiya_ ," Ancient Mai sighed. "I cannot fault the actions of a child burdened with such a duty and under the temptation of dark power, honourable Merlin."

The Merlin frowned. "Very well. I vote that Marik Ishtar has not learned his lesson from his last trial and vote guilty."

"I agree with the Merlin and vote guilty." Cristos raised his hand.

"It was a ten year old under what even Rashid says is powerful magic," Ebenazar muttered. "Are you mad? I vote not guilty."

"Not guilty," Martha Liberty stated.

The Merlin frowned. "Very well. Marik Ishtar has been judged by the Senior Council and found not guilty by us, resulting in acquittal from any and all charges."

Marik breathed a sigh of relief. Mouse gave a low whine to him that sounded reassuring.

"Ryou Bakura, you are charged with breaking the First Law of Magic, the Second Law of Magic, the Third Law of Magic, the Fourth Law of Magic, and, in hindsight, the Sixth Law," Cristos read.

"Ryou was not born with the gift," the Pharaoh defended him. "And Bakura was responsible for everything but the Sixth Law."

"Second Law was transforming … hey, I never transformed people," Bakura frowned. "Trap their souls maybe, but to rearrange their skeletal structure is a difficult task not worth the effort. Third and Fourth Law, maybe, Sixth Law … when did I ever travel through time?"

"Memory World," the Pharaoh stated. "I can't believe you forgot that."

"It was your memory, not time, you idiot," Bakura snapped back. "Maybe fortune-telling?"

"That, yes, may be addressed as breaking the Sixth Law," the Gatekeeper replied.

I felt a chill run down my spine as I noticed that he had never denied breaking the First Law.

"Anyway, I'm Thief King Bakura, and I did all of those," Bakura stated. "Don't go blaming my crimes on someone who wears PJs decorated in fluffy white bunny rabbits to bed."

Molly choked.

"So you plead guilty?" Cristos sounded hopeful.

"Not like you could kill me," Bakura snorted.

"Nevertheless, Ryou Bakura was and is innocent of any and all acts constituted," the Gatekeeper stated. "Except for fortune-telling, but come now, he has no power except from the thief. His fortunes are little more than mere amusements."

"We will put aside the matter of Ryou Bakura for later debate," the Merlin concluded. "Council Member Cristos, please read the last charge."

"Yuugi Mutou, you are charged with breaking of the Laws of Magic," Cristos started before his eyes flicked to the Pharaoh and back. "All of them?"

There was silence in the air save from the threatening thump of Djer's staff against stone and the shift of Cael's cloak behind us. I could feel the inhuman bodyguards begin to move, but then the Gatekeeper shook his head, halting them as we waited for the moment of truth.

"As a wielder of the shadows, I have cursed men to death," the Pharaoh stated flatly. "I have transformed people, yes. I have forced change against their wills, I have commanded the wills of another sentient being, I have gone to the past to retrieve my memories, and, three thousand years ago, I opened the gate to a dark power that forever haunts the nightmares of men. However, I have issues with your Fifth Law, as it states that 'Thou shall not reach beyond the borders of life', but I have crossed, not the boundaries of life, but those of _death."_

No matter how repulsed I felt then, I gotta admit, he had balls.

"However," the ancient god-king continued. "All of the actions cited, however, are mine and mine alone; they are not my partner's."

We could feel the temperature drop and the shadows hidden in corners grow as he spoke. " _How_ dare you, to try and pin the crimes of another upon an innocent who by all rights should be freed from the curse of Kuru Eruna?" His voice was as cold as the tombs in which the dynasties before and after him had been buried in, heavy and harsh and unyielding like the very stone used to build them. "How _dare_ you, to judge others when your own heart is laden with _heka bin_? You would dare to lay a hand on a prince of light, and for that I demand satisfaction."

The Gatekeeper gave a slight chuckle as he turned around and threw the doors of the Speaking Room wide open. From there strolled in Marcone, with his smug smirk, Seto Kaiba with a billowing purple trench coat and trademark scowl, Gard with an expression between amusement and disappointment, and the Archive, the repository of human knowledge, with a placid expression and bad-tempered bodyguard Kincaid in tow. After which followed the regal figure of Queen Mab, opals adorning her neck and hands and fingers flashing as her white train flowed after her blue-white gown, Grimalkin following in her wake.

"Donar Vadderung, proposing signatory." The Archive began professionally before the dumbstruck Senior Council. "Co-signatories, Baron of Chicago, Jonathan Marcone, and Her Majesty Queen Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness of the Unseelie Court of Faerie. Having fulfilled, the necessary conditions, the Nameless Pharaoh of the Shadows is hereby recognised as an independent signatory of the Unseelie Accords as of this hour of this day, encompassing the Thief King Bakura of the Dark, the Tomb-keepers Ishtar of the Grey, the Medjai and all associated, as well as the High Priest of Dragons, Set, now turned Seto Kaiba, with the territory of and around Egypt and Domino City, Japan as well as the bordering areas of the Nevernever to be recognised as their territory."

Seto Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he rounded on the punk-haired Pharaoh. "Next time you need me to arrange a contract involving an induction into the supernatural equivalent of the United Nations," he growled. "Alert me at least two months ahead instead of giving me only two days, you bastard."

"With this, only two favours remain between us," Grimalkin hissed in Mab's voice as the Winter Queen glared at him. The Pharaoh, I mean, not her vassal.

"Mr Donar Vadderung sends his regards, and bids you to inform Mr Pegasus not to release the Polar God cards, or at least take them into custody." Gard informed an openly grinning Pharaoh.

"Thank you ever so much, Set," the Pharaoh stated sincerely. "Mab, the Lady Maret sends her regards and bids you good luck with your rule. Lady Sigrun, please relay word that I will do everything in my power to make it so."

Hell's holy stars and freaking stones shit _bells_. I can't believe it.

"Harry?" Molly now looked thunderstruck. "What does this mean?"

"It means that they can't execute him," I murmured. "Because they're separate, he can ignore the White Council's decrees, because he's not part of them. And being part of the Accords mean that they have protection against the supernatural too. But, when the hell did they–?"

"Vadderung first relayed word through Ms Gard to Mr Kaiba the day he touched down and we began to converse," Marcone began, money-green eyes twinkling. "Through more beneficial talks, I was persuaded to add my signature. All that remained was the last signatory."

"I was contacted by my agents informing me that the Nameless Pharaoh calls in his marker." Grimalkin relayed. "Soon after, the high priest whose very name many a fae has cursed appears and requests for my signature as per the Pharaoh's orders. Needless to say, the Winter Queen took this chance to throw off Her shackles. Wizard, why do you think that the Malk would remain behind, if not due to this?"

The puzzles slowly began to fall into place as I saw what happened.

"As that problem is resolved," the Pharaoh turned a glare upon a nervous Cristos. "As my first act as a signatory, I demand under the terms of the Unseelie Accords satisfaction for threats upon my person, as well on those under my protection and further bodily threat from the White Council of Wizardry. Lady Archive, what would that entail?"

Ivy frowned slightly in thought. "Monetary compensation," she slowly stated. "As well as an apology to be admitted in public before at least one signatory outside those in the conflict. By last count, the monetary compensation for this was gold, one metric ton for each charge. There are two registered charges here, so that would be two metric tons of twenty-four carat."

"Ballsy," Ebenazar admitted, a note of amusement evident in his voice. The Merlin's rapidly paling expression was one I'd remember forever. "Guts of a whole different level."

"Of course," the Archive continued, "The White Council can choose to contest this either by conference or by trial of combat. Should they choose by conference, I will serve as arbitrator, with sitting judge to be Sun Wukong."

I saw the Merlin frown at this news.

"If however they choose trial by combat," the Archive dutifully continued, "They will elect a champion to face the other party's elected champion by the rules of the Code Duello, to be overseen effective immediately. Unless the Nameless Pharaoh chooses to host a Shadow Game?"

"No," the Merlin shook his head. "No, the White Council does not contest the mandate of the Archive. Wizard Cristos? Your apology please."

Indeed. Cheerful. Just … awesome, really.

* * *

 _  
**And the struggle is over.**   
_


	20. Ritual of Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Close to the end!** _

_  
**Close to the end!**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 20: Ritual of Grace**

In the following day, it seemed too quiet once we went through the Ways back to Chicago only to find out that we had been missing for a whole day and a half, such that October the thirty-first was already beginning with the sun's rise. Having one-sided the Merlin, flipped the tables on the Senior Council, inducted a new signatory into the Accords, and stopped a necromancer from his evil nasty mojo ritual, it seemed pretty quiet.

So, I did what any good noir detective would; I went to Starbucks and interviewed someone.

Yuugi Mutou was every bit as mousy as his frame and photograph suggested. His round cherubic face, his wide expressive amethyst eyes, even his heartfelt smile was sincere and innocent and just plain heartwarming as I set his sweet frappé whatever in front of him, on his treat.

"You know, I've been thinking," I began. "I think we were wrong in assuming that Cowl was after power to begin with. He was after your life to begin with, wasn't he? But something intervened. He couldn't kill you, so he had Anderson do some research. Anderson found out about your power, so he planned a ritual to take that power. But to do the ritual, he needed the _name._ The name lost to history that even the Archive couldn't retrieve it." And I even asked her.

Yuugi nodded. "So far, so good, Mr Dresden."

"So, he sticks you in the circle for a couple of days and arranges for the ritual. Cowl finds out, deduces his intentions, and decides that he wants the power, whatever it is. Unfortunately, Kaiba finds him due to the raid, takes him into custody, so Cowl's cover is blown. He, or the Grendelkin working with him, sends a few ghouls after your friends, but then Bakura and Malik crash the scene. Then, Cowl has no choice but to send his own help to get Anderson back."

"You're a very good detective, Mr Dresden," Yuugi replied, smiling at me, although under his amethyst eyes flickered shades of red.

I internally shivered. "Yeah, it's a job. Anyway, so Cowl gets Anderson back, kills him, and takes the blood. Unlike the obvious reasons, I can only think of another reason to take the blood but not the rest; he needed to disrupt the circle. Because that circle is sealed by blood, so only the maker's blood can wash it away. Then he takes you and he and his merry band escape through the Nevernever, ostensibly to hide from tracking spells but also to hide until Halloween, when they can conduct the power-draining ritual and then kill you. Because that's the whole point; if you're killed, there's a power vacuum. And nature will fill the vacuum, so it'll pull the only other force that could stand in your place."

"The Nameless Pharaoh," Yuugi flinched, looking at the untouched coffee he was nursing. "My darkness."

"But, somehow, it goes all wrong because of Vadderung involving himself on top of them." I continued, the idea snowballing. "Here's what I think; the White Council needed time to gather all the evidence of your misdeeds with darkness. So a mole in the system found out and informed them. Cowl is sent to try and kill you, or get you to join the dark side. He can't kill you, so he does the next best and spirit you away. Unfortunately, I don't think he was looking about such an outcry, so he had to involve Anderson and hide you where no one would check. Anderson got greedy, and well, I've relayed what happened after that. I've even figured out Marik's cryptic statements after looking at all of your hands."

"My hands?" Yuugi looked at his short fingers. "What about them?"

"They don't age," I bluntly replied. "Look, your friend Joey looks his age. Kaiba even looks his age. You look like a middle school student. Ryou is like your white-haired suicidal older brother, and I don't see scars. Marik I can't tell, but I suspect that he's stopped ageing as well, such that besides them, you three look particularly young. That's your curse, isn't it? Your darknesses left you to wait for them, as the Pharaoh told me … and in the process, cursed you to never die. The Malk said that you've been suffering from heartache, but you haven't moved on, because you can't."

"Somehow, I wish I could," Yuugi quietly murmured. I was forcibly reminded of my half-brother and Justine, who were in love, yet couldn't be together because Thomas's own vampiric nature made love anathema to him. I'd seen him give himself a second-degree burn just for kissing Justine. When I saw the Pharaoh refer to Yuugi, and now at Yuugi and the Pharaoh, it was like something so secret, so intimate that you couldn't bear but to watch.

Love can blossom again, as they say, but you can't ever replace the other half of your soul. And in the case of these two, well … Leviticus aside, it was almost tragic.

"Anderson's body washed up on shore," I murmured quietly. "Murphy doesn't like it, but she'll keep quiet."

"Thank you," he finally sipped at the cup. "That man, Anderson, he was looking for the cards. The God Cards. A force so powerful that it was the stuff of legend. He wanted the cards to grant his wish. And Cowl killed him."

"I don't understand you," I bluntly told him. "Most wouldn't have such empathy for their kidnappers, never mind sympathy. You sure Stockholm's not setting in?"

Amethyst eyes met mine. "See for yourself."

The soulgaze here was much faster than before. I saw myself in a room full of toys and games, decorated with pictures. Soft blue carpet covered the floors, and the walls themselves were made to look like they'd been built using toy bricks. Peace and serenity seemed to permeate the whole room – except for the stark oak wood, iron-reinforced door.

I opened the door to admit myself into a hallway of stone, and across there was another door of heavy granite, vines grown across it, and right where a peep-hole would be stared the Eye of Horus, stark and piercing and unyielding.

 _I welcome you,_ the voice of the Nameless Pharaoh of the Shadows murmured. _As my partner has, I will at least ensure your safety._

I shuddered to think of the implications if I had intruded uninvited. I'd seen what was left of the ghoul pinned to Butters' autopsy table. There wasn't a shred of sanity left. And I'd seen Malik's soul too – assuredly not Marik's, since the young Tomb Keeper told me that he and Malik were separate souls – and I had a pretty good idea what to expect. But the peace and the light and the warmth of that room … I closed my eyes and wrapped the memory in magic, in my will and intent, to store away and hoard and enjoy sometime in a wizard's long, long life.

When I opened my eyes again, I found that I was crying.

Yuugi Mutou, gamer extraordinaire and half of a soul and somehow a light in the darkness of humanity, smiled at me. "It'll all get better soon, don't worry."

Even though the rational logical part of me wanted to deny it and present proof that the world was in fact darker, I returned his grin, recalling that the dawn always arrived after the dark.

* * *

"... And Yuugi Mutou wins again as the reigning champion for the fifth year running!" The – overly dramatic – announcer yelled. "People, can this man ever be defeated?"

Yeah, I could get that seeing monsters make people excited. I can even get that the technology used to create occasionally magical holograms could create the feeling amongst players to yell at each other. Did they really have to hire an emcee and everything, though? The noise levels from the crowd couldn't compare to Rome's Colosseum in its heyday.

"We're announcing the building of KaibaLand in Michigan," the crazy silver-haired weirdo Marcone introduced snorted behind me. "Of course."

The man could read minds … and the White Council couldn't do a damn thing, since it was a curse.

And as Yuugi raised the shining trophy cup high in the air, overhead the sun continued its slow ride west.

* * *

"Candles?" I asked at nightfall.

"Check," Boob replied. "Empty night, we're going to be sending on a three-millennia old Pharaoh and a tomb robber and a lunatic. I'm in heaven! Somebody pinch me!"

"You have no physical body for us to pinch, spirit of air and intellect," the Pharaoh regally replied, in Yuugi Mutou's body. "Kaiba, how nice for you to come and see us off."

Standing near to the latest Egyptian exhibit of the Field Museum of Natural History, Kaiba scowled. "You pop in, save the day, force me to do all the work, and then take the credit. The only benefit I get out of this is a working partnership with the local Don."

"Along with most of the United States," Marik pointed out, wincing. My guess would be from the maniac. "I heard that Marcone has his fingers in pies all around the US."

"It's the principle," Kaiba grunted. Joey had disappeared somewhere, and Molly to the Carpenter family's Halloween night.

"Come now," the nice gentle Ryou said, standing within the elaborate circle. "Mr Dresden, are you sure that the Museum staff doesn't mind?"

"The Keeper's sister is doing that as we speak," the Pharaoh pointed out. "Mr Dresden's very presence has damaged the camera overhead and any devices around the tablet. Kaiba is also here. We should be safe."

"Right," I replied, checking over my runes. "Bob?"

"It should do," my talking skull assistant said. "Look, the only reason we could do this is because of Halloween tonight. The basic principle is that we move the spirits out of the host body to embody it temporarily, and then we banish the whole thing, so it's easier to anchor a powerful being like this and send it back to the Nevernever or the afterlife or wherever. However, to do so the thing to be embodied will have to be in possession of the host body."

"Done," Bakura's rough rasp echoed in the hall, the artefacts about seemingly … darker as Ryou morphed into Bakura in front of me.

That was one of the creepiest sights I have ever seen, and I've seen plenty.

"Why?" Malik's sing-song voice moaned. "I don't want to leave _hikari-pretty_! None of us want to! Why!"

The Pharaoh, believe it or not, looked pained as he answered. "Because we are long gone, and the past should not hold back the future. As much as it pains to move on, the fact remains that Bakura and I are long dead and if not for events back then, reincarnated. For you, Marik has set aside his hatred and is freed from the burden of his fate dealt to him by birth and Set's decree. For us spectres of the past, we must return to the world of spirits as is our fate, lest we hold back the future from its ever moving onward."

"Bull," Bakura stated. "Then cheat fate. You've done the damn thing once, we can do it again."

The Pharaoh's blood-coloured eyes shone like smooth polished rubies in the dim lighting that the museum employed to give artefacts a mysterious air, and his entire being was that of an ancient king as his back straightened. "The fact remains that the dead remain dead, and the living do not remain faithful to the dead. Accept that, Bakura, and move on."

"Interesting," Bob muttered from his perch at my side.

"What?" I quietly replied, watching the Pharaoh and the Tomb Robber argue, Malik seeming to take the Tomb Robber's side.

"Their auras," Bob muttered. "They're so tightly intertwined, you can't tell where one ends and one begins. They fit so well together, like the pieces of a puzzle. If they're truly one half of a soul, then … it might be possible. Mind you, smut is all good but this kind of sheer devotion to each other comes only once in a long time. Maybe even never."

Funnily enough, I thought of my brother and Justine again. How skin couldn't touch because love was a demon's anathema. How they were separated not only by the White Court within Thomas, but also by the very fact that Justine was mortal and would die even when Thomas looked to be a Caravaggio masterpiece in his twenties. How the greatest distance divided them, not because they were oblivious to each other's love, but because they love knowing that fate would forever keep them apart.

I've always been a supporter of non-discrimination, and I'd be damned if there was one way I could stop a couple, gay or otherwise, from ending up like Thomas and Justine.

"What do you plan?" I murmured.

Seto Kaiba was a lot of things, and human seemed to be one of them, for his lips just wearily twitched as he stood by the side as me and my air spirit of intellect plotted out how to bring two soul-mates together.

* * *

 _I can't do this,_ the childish voice that had never managed to break and probably never would sobbed in the darkness.

 _If I could, I wouldn't,_ the being of the dark replied. _There is no other way if we wish to preserve the balance of Ma'at, aibou._

 _It ripped myself to pieces back at the Tomb almost three years ago, I can't send you back again …_

 _You must. You must live, if only in the peace I stole from you when you solved the puzzle. I don't care how you live, but at least enjoy the years like normal mortals, as much as one touched by the shadows can. With the signing of the Accords, at least you are safe from most supernatural actions. Mahaado will take care of the rest. You must at least live and die peacefully if we can find each other again. I… just please, live._

"It's time," the glowing talking skull signalled. The three sighed.

The chalk and salt circle now marring the marble flooring was about twenty feet in diameter, and as the three darks stepped inside, the wizard pricked his finger with a K-Bar military knife and bled on the circle, sealing it. The three winced as they felt the circle rise up and hold them. Five trick birthday candles arranged around the circle burst into flame at the wizard's signal, and the mage began chanting in a rush of nonsensical syllables, the subtle trickle of power pouring in heard by all the magically attuned.

 _Even though our visit was short, it was enjoyable,_ the strongest of the darks murmured his last words mentally.

 _Yami..._

There was no physical pain, instead the screams from the Pharaoh, the Tomb Robber and the Keeper driven to their knees was of a spiritual happening as light and dark separated into two near-identical solid forms of three boys turned men, a total of six beings, light and dark kneeling opposite each other.

It was then that white fire burned from the wizard's fingertips as he brought them down on the circle.

The Pharaoh's eyes widened. "Oh Ra _no_ –"

The Thief King and the maniac did not seem to share the same sentiment. "Oh _yes,_ " the Thief King cackled.

The Pharaoh's eyes flashed and the shadows brought themselves down upon the circle, purple-black mixing with the white fire that burned the entire circumference as both light and dark screamed in pain, although outside the circle the sound was oddly cut off. Light and dark found each other's hands and gripped tight, never letting go. From the white-purple mix burst light, yellow and so bright as if from the sun itself as light and dark doubled over in more pain as yellow light carved into flesh where it touched on their backs.

 _It hurts, but my other self looks like he's hurting more,_ all of them thought simultaneously.

The white-purple-yellow mix then converged into a vortex that funnelled itself into all six of them, finally ending the ritual as the wizard's hand swept across and split the circle, the resulting backlash killing all the power in the Field Museum and three blocks radius as it swept outwards in an arc.

Overhead, the roars of a dragon, the bellows of a giant, and the screech of a mythical bird sounded as if in triumph.

* * *

 _  
**Close to the end!**   
_


	21. Chaos End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**We have come to the last chapter of our story. We hope that you enjoyed this! And on to the epilogue!** _

_  
**We have come to the last chapter of our story. We hope that you enjoyed this! And on to the epilogue!**   
_

_  
**Insert standard disclaimer here.**   
_

_  
**I am thinking of writing more YuGiOh! crossovers after this one. The stories and possibilities are endless. Aside from my running story 'Secrets Hidden in the Shadows', I'm planning something with a theological ring to it, like Code Geass or D. Gray Man. What do you think? Please review!**   
_

* * *

**Chapter 21: Chaos End**

"My theory has been proven correct," Bob cackled, eyes glowing in the relative darkness of the Museum. "These guys are Shadow Lords."

I blinked. "Say what?"

"They managed to defy the boundaries of death and return to life, well, a bit different," Bob elaborated. "The Soulfire you poured in was only a bit, the Pharaoh's reaction by pouring in his own power did the rest, that's why you're not so tired like the rest of the rituals you do. It becomes an embodying spell instead of your typical necromancy, well within the Laws. Just that no spirit's ever survived getting embodied like this before."

"Really?" I dumbly asked.

"Yeah," Bob patiently sighed. "Ooo, maybe we'll see some action now that they've got a body and all the working parts –"

"Wizard," the Pharaoh's voice broke through, sharp as flint and probably twice as brittle. "What. Did. You. Do."

A crackling sound informed me that he was ready for the wrong reply. "Er..."

"I have hands!" Bakura cackled. "And a body that's mine! With working parts!" A squeak informed me that he had grabbed Ryou, and subsequent noises … I leave it to your sick imagination. I certainly couldn't see in the dark.

" _Hikari-pretty_!" Malik was crying, and more 'oof' informed me that he had also glomped Marik. It would have been much nicer without all the noises.

"Wizard," the Pharaoh stated as orange flames came to life in his hand. With those blood-red eyes at me, I felt like running. "What. Happened."

The shadows thrown by the flames effectively hid any action I could have seen from the other two pairs.

"I, er, injected a bit of Soulfire –" I hurriedly began.

"I am aware of that," the Pharaoh coldly replied. That was when I realised that he was n his birthday suit, still regal and commanding and _damn is that a_ – "What I want to know is _why_ , and what _compelled_ you to do something so counter to the plan."

"Hey," Bob brightly replied. "Look at it this way; the Soulfire was a catalyst for what you yourself would've done in a few more millennia, assuming you stick around that long. The balance of order is still intact like this, you have a body with working parts, and you don't have to do the angsty thing that feels like it's straight out of _Twilight._ " At my choking, he quickly defended: "What? Molly brought the damn thing! It's hot contemporary literature!"

"You might want to hide soon," Kaiba stated from his stand in the sidelines. "Nice package."

The Pharaoh merely scowled. "Osiris take you, Kaiba."

"My Lord Pharaoh," Djer appeared, armful of clothes in hand. "Welcome back to the land of the embodied. I took the liberty of bringing your clothes, that of the thief's, and the lunatic Keeper's. Do you require assistance?"

"Hardly," the royal drawl was back as the Pharaoh clothed himself in simple jeans and black shirt, topping it all off with two steel-buckled belts. And he went commando under all that... "Do you have any shoes to spare?"

"Sandals," the Dark Magician proffered the mentioned footwear. "I even brought two pairs for the tomb robber and the tomb keeper right now."

"And?" The Pharaoh stated dryly.

"They sound busy," Djer replied as a low moan echoed around the complex. This was followed by another moan soon after.

"Tomb Robber, Tomb Keeper, you can snog them senseless later!" The Pharaoh barked, bending down to lift Yuugi bridal-style. "Move now!"

With much grumbling in the dark and fumbling, although all of them certainly had better night vision than me, two white-haired boys and two blonde boys appeared, looking none the worse for wear as they slowly walked to the entrance.

"Rest should be prescribed, my Pharaoh," Djer stated, bowing. Even with the conical hat he still made it look regal. "I will clean up here."

Here the Pharaoh looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"Certainly," he laughed. "I have cleaned up after rituals for a very long time after all. Go rest, or I will have to pull some not-inconsiderable might to make you."

"You haven't changed, Mahaado," the Pharaoh laughed as he slowly ambled off with the sleeping boy, disappearing into the shadows.

"The fires of creation in an embodying ritual," Djer remarked soon after. "Intriguing and inspiring."

"Oh stars," Bob breathed. "The Black Magician! This guy's a _legend_ , Harry."

"Thank you," the legend replied, before turning to me. "Before this, I had initially thought that no one could browbeat him. Master Yuugi has been in pain for a long time, and my Pharaoh as well, though he does not show it. The other pairs share their pain too, separated from their other selves."

I smirked. "All in a day's work."

Djer smiled grimly. "By allowing the Pharaoh to walk the earth as a Lord of the Shadows, you risk much, you know. Including the wrath of Anubis."

Great. As if a whole Vampire Court wasn't enough, I had to worry about an Egyptian god after me.

Then I recalled the Pharaoh's almost tender expression and decided. "I think love is worth that bit of a god getting a bit pissed at me."

Djer laughed bitterly. "Perhaps more than a _bit,_ Mr Dresden. You are a singular man, Harry Dresden. I can only hope that you live long and prosper."

And then he turned and disappeared into the night, leaving a paper bag land by my feet with a thud. I picked up the rather heavy bag and walked out to the nearest emergency light. The sight that was revealed made even me laugh. Bob couldn't stop cackling at all.

It took me a while before I realised he quoted _Star_ _Trek_ at me.

It was barely five minutes after I'd changed into the costume and stepped out wondering how was I going to grab a cab at ten in the evening when Michael's van drove up to me. My friend Michael Carpenter was decked out in full Templar-worthy armour, although they had the look of light aluminium instead of tempered steel, accounting for his injuries. The door slid open. Molly was sitting behind, decked out in Dark Magician Girl garb. His Frodo -dressed son Matthew smiled at me from his seat. Amanda grinned at me, dressed as a fairy, complete with fake butterfly wings. Hope, predictably, as an angel, and Alicia as a scientist.

Baby Harry, on the other hand …

'What did the kid ever do to you to dress him as me?" I snarked, pointing at the ten-gallon hat they somehow fit on him.

"Named him after you," Michael good-naturedly replied. "Hop in, there's space."

The Jawas struggled to make room as I took off the stupid conical hat which caused Molly to break out in hysterics and squeezed in.

"Matthew informed me about the Duel Monsters running about," Michael conversationally stated. "I suppose the situation's resolved itself?"

"More or less," I grunted as the magical payback slowly crept up on me. I'd be lethargic, but I'd still be functioning.

"We have to give the card back, do we?" Matthew dully said, turning to me with the big eyes.

"Why?" I answered. "If it's done nothing to you for about five days or so already, there's no threat to it. And it's willingly given, so no debts incurred."

"Oh," Matthew looked relieved.

"So," I said, wishing that the costume wasn't this long. "Now that I am, somehow against all logic, wearing the stupid Dark Magician outfit, where to?"

* * *

" _Mou hitori no boku_ ," a smiling Yuugi Mutou murmured as he curled closer to his newly embodied darkness. "How long are you staying?"

"With our luck?" he replied, frowning at the forms Kaiba had told him to fill up 'if he wanted to get on the plane to the next stop' for his passport. "All I have ever recalled about Shadow Lords is that they are neither light nor darkness, but a perfect blend of both. If we take into account that you are the light, and I the dark, then the two of us together would be the embodiment of Shadow, as with Bakura and Ryou, and Marik and Malik. But I do not know, _aibou_."

"It is no matter, my Pharaoh," the Black Magician entered through the door after politely knocking. "Your and Master Yuugi's very existence, as well as the balance between light and dark, lies with the six of you now. Alone you wield authority over the Shadow Realm, together you rule within your domain as princes and kings. It would be a very poor system if your bond did not last through the ages yet to come."

"And the marks on our backs?" the Pharaoh Atemu's eyes narrowed. "Why does my back contain the mark of the Puzzle?"

"The powers of the Items had to go somewhere," Djer frowned. "You have the Puzzle, Master Yuugi the Ankh, Messrs Bakura and Ryou the Ring and Tauk respectively, Messrs Marik and Malik the Rod and the Eye. Only the Scales remain missing. I believe since the three of you are functioning as a scale to measure order of a sort that the scales of Ma'at simply passed back to its original owner."

"Ah," both light and dark sighed at the headache yet to come. It was then that they realised:

"Wait a second. What d'you mean by _throughout the ages_?"

* * *

The contrast between a house and a home is amazing. My basement apartment is secured with every spell known to man between Bob and me, and the feeling of safety can't even compare to what I feel at the carpenter house.

"Wakey, sunshine," Bob cackled, way too early for anyone else in the Carpenter house to be awake, though that would change soon. "It's All-hallows."

"The rift's healed, the damsel's rescued, the world's saved," I smiled and leaned from the couch, rapping the skull with my knuckles. "Be quiet, Bob. Or no porn for the rest of the week."

"'Kay," he sleepily replied, the orange lights finally dying.

I went to the bathroom, washed, dressed, brushed my teeth, before running back down just in time for Charity's home cooking, yay.

I then borrowed Michael's pickup truck, since the Beetle was in the shop, and drove to my office for my mail.

Right there, on my table, was a check made out to _Mr Harry Blackstone Copperfield_ _Dresden_ for fifty grand, with a single note written in English, Japanese, hieroglyphics, Greek, Latin and even Arabic. They all said the same:

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**Thank you.**   
_

The heartfelt meaning behind those words was all worth it. And the money. But mostly the sentiments.

I grinned as the wan November sunlight fell into my dim office. The day was already looking up.

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_Soon..._   
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	22. After the Struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**And the epilogue comes...** _

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**And the epilogue comes...**   
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**We have come to the end of the story. Thank you, all who have reviewed, favourite, or alerted this fic.**   
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**This fic is dedicated to ZecoreZecron for placing it up on TvTropes. This is for you.**   
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**Enjoy.**   
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* * *

**Epilogue: After the Struggle**

The transition between sleep and the real world is a funny thing; sometimes they can't be differentiated.

For example, Ryou Bakura woke up this morning after an odd – and hot – dream where the Thief King who had haunted his dreams and nightmares and generally still ruining his psychology ever since he'd gotten the thrice-damned Ring snogged him senseless and they tumbled into the room and basically enacted several acts most commonly seen inside a pornography film. And then he woke up to find said thief slumped over him.

Denial notwithstanding, this was the very position that was awkward beyond all reason, mainly because like this Ryou could at least hallucinate that the bloodthirsty Tomb Robber could show visible affection and was not an abusive foul-mouthed cur that would, and had, stabbed him in the hand, chest and sliced parts of his own skin. Having never seen the dark Bakura in memory, Ryou marvelled at how the X-shaped scar across his right cheek accentuated sharp angled cheekbones that many would kill to have.

That was when the Tomb Robber chose to wake up.

Survival instincts are half-reliable things that send information to people's brains and gets adrenaline coursing for fight or flight response. Ryou chose flight.

The thief must have had other ideas, for Ryou never actually managed to get off.

"Now," the white-haired Thief King of the Dark purred. "I mentioned before that you'll need the talk, right? And I have just the perfect visual aid."

What followed must have been three thousand years of sexual frustration, two years of finally resolving the differences between them, catching up on three years of happenings, reaffirmation of intentions towards and opposite party, and probably inclusive of the resolving of a teenager's delicate psychology injured by the actions of an insane and newly embodied Thief King. It would certainly explain why they didn't leave the room for the whole day.

* * *

The next day, Marik Ishtar sighed, watching his dark self intimidate the hotel security as he lugged his suitcase to the lobby. Although the night was enjoyable, and the boy was certainly faithful in his own twisted way, and Malik had grown slightly more sane … Ishizu was going to lose it.

" _Habibi,_ Malik got a gun!" The spiky-haired blonde waved said firearm about, holding it by the barrel. Marik vaguely reflected that at least the lunatic had learned that much on safely handling firearms … Rishido was going to be so mad.

On the bright side, he reflected, as the other two pairs came down, They weren't alone.

The Pharaoh caught his eye and lifted his left hand, showing the outline of the Puzzle. Marik raised an eyebrow, showing the Sceptre's outline on his own left hand. There; the loop of an Ankh on Yuugi, the curve of the Ring on Bakura, the eye and border of the necklace on Ryou, and on his own dark, he knew, the Eye of Knowledge within a circle.

To them, there was no need to know where the Scales were. They already knew.

* * *

"So, what do you want to do now?" Yuugi expectantly asked as the limousine specially hired by Seto Kaiba to 'get them out of my hair and across the ocean' approached.

"Mahaado has informed me as to our duties," the Pharaoh sighed. "It appears that I can no longer use my real name if we want everything about us to stay intact."

"So if we say Atemu–?" The glass window cracked and broke into shards. "Oops."

"Also," he continued. "I do not want to burden you."

Hands clasped together. "You were never a burden, Yami."

An eyebrow was raised. "Darkness? Appropriate."

"You are my darkness," Yuugi simply replied. "I can't just let you go. And next time, if you leave for the afterlife, I am going to follow you."

"If we ever do," Yami quietly murmured, watching as a cut inflicted by the glass onto Yuugi's skin healed faster than mortally possible. "I do not think that we can expect a normal death, let alone a normal life, any time soon."

"But we'll be together," Yuugi replied.

Yami laughed. "Yes, we will be. Light and dark entwined together, dedicated through the smooth and rough, even across the ages."

"Poetic," Yuugi commented.

"I aim to please."

* * *

Around the Windy City, various edifices and beings not common to the mortal world evaporated as the sun rose, purple mist and shadows snaking about the remains. High above the skyline, a castle upon the clouds and its giggling inhabitants vanished, as a floating stone castle soon followed.

Blurs of black, green and yellow sang the songs of the winds as they flew by the great plane flying across the ocean in the great land beyond the sea of Punt, towards another place, whose name reeked of magic but was transient nonetheless, a place which would end like any other under time, unlike their very masters, unlike their very selves, mortal.

Somewhere in the heavens, hidden by clouds and the sheer expanse of clear skies, the cry of a phoenix could be heard in triumph.

 _Divided we are no longer. The world had better watch._

* * *

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**Conclusione della storia**   
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	23. Omake: Destiny Draw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _**Destiny Draw** _

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**Destiny Draw**   
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**An LLS production**   
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**Okay, I first put this up as an independent fic, but then common sense kicked in and asked why didn't I just add an omake. So, here it is!**   
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**ANNOUNCEMENT: The first long multi-chapter crossover between YuGiOh! and Justice League ever! 'The Paths of Destiny' is a work in progress I hope many of you will watch out for! Stay tuned!  
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* * *

"I'll take _Silver Fang_ ," Billy remarked in our game.

In tonight's role-playing game we had two newcomers, both gamers at heart and easily kicking our asses in RPG – how do they do that? – and the conversation somehow turned to 'which card represents which person?', started by our host for tonight, Billy Borden.

"A werewolf choosing a wolf to represent himself," Yuugi Mutou bit his lip. "Very … suitable."

The irony was lost on Billy. "I think Murphy should take … _D.D. Warrior Lady_. Because even if she couldn't beat whoever she's fighting she'll damn well take them down with her."

"I really don't know enough about the game to pass judgement," I volunteered. "Although Molly insists that she's _Dark Magician Girl_ , and I'm the _Dark Magician_. Anyone know why?"

Billy, Georgia, Yuugi and even the embodied Pharaoh curled protectively around Yuugi chuckled at my expense.

"What?" I blinked.

"You don't want to know," Billy chuckled. "Anyway, let's see … if I'm _Silver Fang_ , then Georgia's definitely _Mystical Moon_ to my Fang."

"Doesn't work like that anymore, but you're right," Yuugi laughed. "Mr Marcone should be … _Patrician of Darkness_?"

 _That_ I could get. "I agree whole-heartedly," I said with every heartfelt feeling I could muster on short notice.

"But I don't think you're _Dark Magician_ ," Yuugi mused. "You're more of a Zera, I think."

Silence met this proclamation.

"Dice roll," it was the Pharaoh who broke the awkward silence that descended upon the role-play board.

"What do you think represents Thomas?" I commented.

"The one of the White Court?" the Pharaoh, so alike yet unlike his partner, cocked his head. "Succubus Knight?"

Billy choked on his beer. "A female card?"

"Soul monsters do not commonly differentiate," the Pharaoh turned chillingly blood-coloured eyes onto the werewolf, who gulped. "There are always exceptions to the rule. Succubus Knight may be female, but it is still a knight, one who rides into battle ready to face death for a great cause. There are worse things to be compared to."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Billy shrugged.

" _Giant Germ_ ," one of the Alphas dryly replied. " _Mucus Yolk_."

Some of the more in-the-know shuddered. "Eww," Georgia commented.

"So...what's this Zera?" I asked.

The Pharaoh paused for a moment, eyes unfocused. The entire table froze as he began. "If you mean the Monster card, then the most popular would be the Warrior of Zera, born to three different destinies that he would meet on his search. The first is to find the Sanctuary in the Sky, becoming a herald and eventually an Archlord, to eventually turn his back on the Sanctuary and become a fallen angel, a Darklord in the game. The second would be to find his way to Pandemonium, tempted by the Archfiends of Pandemonium to become a powerful dark monster, the Devil Mazera. The third would be to be worshipped as a god, again becoming a dark god, Zera the Mant. Setting his mind on his first destiny to find the Sanctuary of the Sky, he fights the temptations of the fiends day by day, always fighting alone."

That... sounded too prophetic for my own case.

Tempted by demons? If you counted the fallen angel in my head... yeah.

Found the sanctuary...? Metaphorically speaking, I guessed Soulfire counted.

Becoming a god...? that sounded too uncomfortably close to Kemmler's ritual.

"That describes a lot of people," I decided.

At the game's conclusion, we all went home, and I wandered the streets of Chicago back to my apartment, thinking. Yeah, wizards get their philosophic moments too. I guess the Zera card, whatever it was, represent a person as they walked the path of life. We all walk through life alone, and we are always tempted by the forces of light and darkness as we walk the path of life. And at the end... we die. Death is the inevitable end, but the memory we leave behind remains on forever more... and if that memory is treasured enough... from a metaphysical perspective, I guess we become gods.

I guess _Sandman_ said it the best. With each step you take through Destiny's garden, you make a choice; and every choice determines future paths. However, at the end of a lifetime of walking you might look back, and see only one path stretching out behind you; or look ahead, and see only darkness.

The future is undecided. The yet to come can always change. I guess that's why there's a popular saying: 'the past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift'.

There's no time like the present, heh?

**Author's Note:**

>  _  
> **This story is dedicated to ZecoreZecron, who was great enough to put this fic up on the TvTropes(dot)Org Dresden Files Fanfic Rec page. This story has made the ten percent worth dying for because of him.**   
> _


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